INTERVIEW: Margaret Rasberry on Kate Bush’s Lionheart

INTERVIEW:

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush, shot on a Hasselblad 500, in a beautiful outtake from the 1978 Lionheart shoot/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz (concept by John Carder Bush) 

Margaret Rasberry on Kate Bush’s Lionheart

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I feel every Kate Bush album…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Margaret Rasberry

is a thing of value, passion, beauty, power and significance. Even if one deems it less than her best, I don’t think that makes it bad. In fact, Kate Bush has never released a bad album. There are those who definitely undervalue albums that are a lot stronger than they get credit for. Unfortunately, when it comes to ranking Bush’s ten studio albums, the same three usually end up in the bottom three: Lionheart, The Red Shoes and Director’s Cut. The former is actually one of my favourite Bush albums – I would put it about fourth or fifth in the rankings. As recording began less than five months after she released her debut, The Kick Inside, it was an impossible task to get something career-best together. Three of the ten songs on the album were newly-written: Symphony in Blue, Full House and Coffee Homeground. I think Coffee Homeground was inspired by a cab driver she might have met when in America that seemed a bit nutty (her word, not mine!). In fact, each of the ten songs has its own skin, identity and strength. Lionheart reached number six in the U.K. (five in the Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway), its second single, Wow, reached fourteen in the U.K. (and it was released off the back of The Tour of Life, 1979).

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz

As Lionheart was released in November 1978, we celebrate its forty-fifth anniversary very soon. I was thinking how nobody has really done any comprehensive podcast about the album. Not many journalist write about it and show it love – I am in the minority in that respect –, so I wanted to get the ball rolling before November and talk to someone who loves and respects Kate Bush’s second studio album. Discussing Lionheart with me is the amazing Margaret Rasberry. An ardent and passionate Kate Bush devotee, here (in her own words) is what you need to know:

“Margaret Rasberry, MA, MLIS, has been an ardent Kate Bush admirer for over a decade and continues to make new discoveries about her music and artistry. Her main fields of interest are music, film, feminist, critical race, and queer theory. You can find her work on mollywoodwrites@wordpress.com and she has been published in print in Film Matters Magazine and in http://TheFilmStage.com as a contributing writer”.

Someone who probably knows more about Kate Bush’s magnificent and under-valued 1978 gem, it was a pleasure and enriching experiencing discovering what this album means to her. I know that after reading this interview you will think differently about Lionheart. It is such a compelling, important and fantastic album that deserve more love. It is a phenomenal work that…

MAKES you go WOW!

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Hi Margaret! Before we discuss a specific Kate Bush album, when did you first discover her music?

I first discovered Kate’s music in my late-teens; interestingly enough on a comedy website with a listicle called 5 People Cheated Out of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Kate Bush was number 1 on that list - and the only female artist on that list. The only artist on that list that has still not been inducted is Jethro Tull, so make of that what you will. The article also introduced me to my favorite album of hers, The Dreaming, which I discovered later had a wider, more positive reception in America than the U.K.

What was it about Kate that grabbed your attention and stuck in your heart?

Growing up in the southern part of the United States, I grew up with a sense of having to conform to standards I didn’t agree with. Much like Kate, I didn’t like high school (which is basically secondary schooling in the U.K.). And even growing up with a pretty progressive family to support you, you feel like an outsider if you don’t fit that heteronormative and shallow worldview. And it's reflected in so much of our music - especially in the late-2010s; American Pop/Rock music - during that time, which I did not enjoy - unlike my peers -, especially as a burgeoning bisexual realizing I preferred girls, and receiving some disgust from some of my peers when I came out to them. The first year of college was much better, but still I found myself not really fitting in. I instead found myself diving into books and movies, including the works of Jane Austen, The Brontë Sisters, Virginia Woolf, Thomas Pynchon, and watching the films of David Lean, Jean Cocteau, Michael Powell, and Emeric Pressburger, along with other great directors. So when I first heard Kate, it was like a lightning strike inside my mind.

“That vulnerability and beauty of the storytelling resonated with me, as I felt so alone and isolated away from home for the first time when I first heard her sing”

Here was this woman singing about swapping genders with her presumably male partner, singing about the adverse effects of colonialism in aboriginal tribes in Australia with an Australian accent, going mad after seeing the face of God, performing as the ghost of Catherine Earnshaw, admitting to being afraid in Hounds of Love, which is something you never hear an artist admit. That vulnerability and beauty of the storytelling resonated with me, as I felt so alone and isolated away from home for the first time when I first heard her sing. Her work on trying to comprehend the world around her resonated with me and led to a deeper understanding of how I perceived the world and humanity itself. The modulations, the ontologically strange performances, all of it just mesmerized me. And when I discovered she was a charming and nice person in real life, my love for her work deepened.

We are discussing Lionheart. Bush’s second studio album, it never received the love it deserved. Why do you think this is?!

I think it’s because it was not as fine-tuned as her debut, since The Kick Inside was worked on from the time she was fifteen to the age of nineteen. And I am sure EMI and her sponsor David Gilmour wanted her debut to be something special, and Wuthering Heights was this awe-inspiring debut single that, as you know, she had to fight the producers to have as her first single. I also think with all the promotion such as performing in Japan, on Top of the Pops, Efteling and more, it’s so much to tackle, especially a young woman in her late-teens. And since she wrote hundreds of songs when she was younger and EMI wanted to capitalize on her, I think they pushed her to do push out another album. But to quote one advertisement for Symphony in Blue: “Kate Bush’s B-sides are better than your A-sides!” .

Despite it being rushed in a sense, I think it is an amazing album. Three new songs she wrote, Symphony in Blue, Coffee Homeground and Full House, are among my favourites. Able to create weird and touchingly beautiful songs with that sort of pressure, how do you think Lionheart would have sounded if Bush had been given more space and time?

I agree. Especially for being a sophomore album, it’s a great one. I remember reading a Missy Elliott quote telling young rappers to not slack off on the second album cause that’s when you can experiment more. But Kate unfortunately did not have that option. Though she herself admitted she felt it was more adventurous compared to her debut. I think she would have been allowed to modulate her voice to sound a little deeper cause I feel that EMI wanted her to keep that coquettish way of speaking, especially for the ostensibly male listeners, since I think there was this desire for female singers to be sexy overall and not to negate that factor. And Kate’s performances on Top of the Pops and Saturday Night Live reflect that image. Maybe to some as a detriment, but she still exudes this innocent sensuality that’s so Kate. I think if more time would have been given to her, she could have implemented the Fairlight, cause she was first introduced to it in 1979 I believe when it first came out. It’s fascinating to imagine that album with the Fairlight.

“I also love “Full House” because it heavily reflects anxiety and neurodivergent thinking. And having ADHD, I could really connect with “Imagination sets in, then all the voices begin”

I adore Coffee Homeground where she affects a Lotte Lenya-esque performance that’s hilarious and endearing to listen to. I feel she had to fight for that one since it’s not ‘sexy’. I also love Full House because it heavily reflects anxiety and neurodivergent thinking. And having ADHD, I could really connect with “Imagination sets in, then all the voices begin”. I have a particular fondness for In Search of Peter Pan; a song that Björk has brought up as one of her favorites as well. And it’s look at nostalgia and continuing Kate’s fascination with childhood and how people with that childlike innocence navigate the world and try to comprehend it. Also, the ending with the bit from Pinocchio’s When You Wish Upon a Star is a beautiful end to the piece. And I’m biased, cause Pinocchio is one of my favorite animated films.

Although Bush assisted production on Lionheart, it was Andrew Powell who helmed it. I think Bush could have produced solo. Do you think this frustration was a big reason why she co-produced Never for Ever (with Jon Kelly) and split with Powell?

I think there was that frustration, definitely. Though this is pure conjecture, I believe that Powell never really got the “Kate Factor” as well as he should have. And Kate always exuded this feminine energy in her works, from slyly implying menstruation with the lunar cycle, to performing famous female roles in her songs, to describing sexual relations in such a beautiful way. And that does not even bring in The Ninth Wave or The Sensual World. The queer theorist Dr D-M Withers called this the “Bushian Feminine Subject” in their book, Adventures in Kate Bush and Theory. And there’s a definite shift from Lionheart to Never for Ever. I think Kate felt that the first two albums were not just her albums, but her and Powell’s, and it obscured her true vision of what they should be. Powell preferred this spontaneous approach, which Kate did not approve of. Jon Kelly was one of the first people to come out and tell her that after her first album she was never going to be able to walk down the street without being recognized cause of the fame it was going to bring her, which I’m sure she didn’t believe at first. And that honesty is probably what helped her decide to work with Kelly, after producing The Tour of Life. So yes, I believe that there was frustration with Andrew taking a lot of the roles she wanted to do when making the album, and because of her age and gender her influence was not as strong as it should have been.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978 for the ‘Redhead 2’ shot by Gered Mankwoitz

You have noted how Lionheart is a Queer/L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+-friendly/focused album. Is this an aspect that resonated with you? Do you feel people in 1978 realized how progressive and unconventional this was for an artist?

Besides the obvious inclusion of the line in Wow, “He’s too busy hitting the Vaseline”, while patting her bum…so you know what she’s referring to. And the Queer couple that are central to the narrative she creates in Kashka from Baghdad. I think the performance and the theatricality makes the album more Queer-focused than her others. The podcast, Strange Phenomena, brought up that when Kate performs, she really performs in this camp stylings that she puts her whole heart into, which I like to call ‘sincere camp’. Camp that is imbued with sincerity and love, and not as a form of shade or mockery like a lot of camp is played out. The exaggeration is played very straight. Her shifting in identities and performance also calls to mind drag culture, theatricality and the concept of passing, which with the acceptance of trans and non-binary individuals would resonate with their experiences. Ran Tan Waltz, where she is literally performing in drag - as a drag king in fact - bring this to the forefront. And losing the hat with her long hair flowing muddles the gender line, as well as Stewart Avon-Arnold himself taking his wig off at the end and glancing at the camera.

Even the front cover of Lionheart with the lion costume obscures her gender signifiers with the bulky costume hiding her shapely form, and her hair looking like an exaggerated mane, calling to mind large wigs worn by drag performers. Hammer Horror with the narrative of a stage actor being haunted by the ghost of the lead whose role he took speaks to this theatrical performativity. In Search of Peter Pan sees her use male pronouns: “When I am a man I will be an astronaut and find Peter Pan”. Also, she brings up how she as a man keeps a pin-up of Peter Pan almost, like a homosexual crush.

It resonated with me because I don’t feel particularly feminine most days, and there are some days I dress and try to perform more masculine depending on the circumstances - and it brings a sense of comfort.

I think people did realize in 1978 that this was very progressive. She performed Kashka from Baghdad on the family program, Ask Aspel, a year before Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative faction came to full power with its anti-gay legislation, including the Section 28, which I’m sure you recall. It also calls to mind Thatcher’s opposition to immigration, especially from non-western countries. I had a film professor named Dr. Bose who went to graduate school in England, having immigrated from India…and remembered Thatcher saying, “We are being swamped with immigrants”. And the song speaks to the humanity of not just gay men, but to the humanity of immigrants who are also people of color - which was a needed message, and still needed now, especially in America, where people who come from primarily Islamic nations are heavily discriminated against. It also brings in found families and the communities outsiders feel being disowned for being different, as these two men have found a family together. And Kate as the innocent voyeur wants to be a part of that found family too.

“Andrew Powell’s spontaneity was not conducive to her perfectionistic way of working, so this tour with full control gave her confidence, along with the standing ovations it received”

My top three songs from Lionheart are Symphony in Blue, Wow and Kashka from Baghdad. Do you have favourite songs from the album?

I love Hammer Horror and it was the first song from the album I fell in love with, with her performance echoing Lon Chaney and gothic horror tropes you would see in German expressionist cinema, with the realization that her actor character is murdered within the song is hauntingly beautiful to see and listen too. I also love the aforementioned In Search of Peter Pan and Full House, which hilariously Ron Moy in his book, Kate Bush and the Hounds of Love, brought up was a song he never returns to, which is a shame, cause it really conveys the sense of not only anxiety, but being neurodivergent. It is like this constant reminder of being yourself and not letting the thoughts overcome your judgment or distract you from daily tasks.

In 1979, Bush embarked on her Tour of Life. How instrumental and influential do you feel the experience of recording Lionheart was to her decision to take this creative control and mount a huge tour?

I think The Tour of Life was very influential in how she wanted to have control. And of course since she was footing the bill for most of the production, no thanks to EMI not having as much faith in her as they should have, this gave her a way to leverage her influence to all facets of production. Andrew Powell’s spontaneity was not conducive to her perfectionistic way of working, so this tour with full control gave her confidence, along with the standing ovations it received. Though, I think Kate realizing how much she hated flying, and the untimely death of her lighting tech Bill Duffield, led to her fear of touring and performing live again until 2014. And that does not even scratch the surface on how influential The Tour of Life was for future performers being the first one with a head mic, and with skits and magic tricks; with the indelible opening with Kate emerging from an egg being copied by Lady Gaga decades later.

“I agree that “Lionheart” is significantly overlooked”

I think it is unusual she opted for Hammer Horror as the first single – whereas Wow or Symphony in Blue (which was released as a single in Japan) would have made more sense. Maybe she wanted something very different and weirder to detach herself from The Kick Inside. Are there any songs on the album you think should have been a single?

I am of the opposite opinion, in that I find that Hammer Horror is a remarkable single, cause it already had a story that she could choreograph with Anthony Van Laast. And since Kate loves performing with her songs to match the narrative there was a chance to be very creative, which shows with Gary/Anthony lifting and spinning her around, as a form of interpretative dance conveying a haunting and a murder. And it’s interesting that both Wuthering Heights and Hammer Horror are ghost songs, except with her playing the ghost in Wuthering Heights and then performing the role of the victim in Hammer Horror being haunted by the ghostly spectre.

I think the only two contenders for singles from the album I would promote would be In Search of Peter Pan and Kashka from Baghdad, especially since she only performed In Search of Peter Pan during the Tour of Life…and it’s such an enchanting song.

PHOTO CREDIT: Claude Vanyeye, 1979

Not many place Lionheart as their favourite Kate Bush album. In fact, for most it would be in their bottom three. I think it is hugely underrated. What would you say to people who overlook and dismiss the album?

I agree that Lionheart is significantly overlooked. And even though it’s in my bottom three, but higher than Director’s Cut, I like to tell people that Kate Bush has never released a bad album. With the appreciation from Queer fans such as the podcast Strange Phenomena and Dr D-M Withers, I think it will be looked upon as an essential album that deserves recognition for pushing Kate’s artistry to a whole new level that continued with Never for Ever and The Dreaming. I think people dismiss it because they see it as B-side songs that did not make it onto The Kick Inside - which is a fair point, but it makes the album sound like a throwaway one, instead of an essential part of her discography.

I think all of Kate’s albums deserve their due because Kate is just one of the most essential artists in Pop music history, and every Indie female singer and experimental artist owes her a debt to opening the doors to new possibilities in music, lyrically and compositionally.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during an outtake from the ‘Redhead’ shoot in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz

Lionheart turns forty-five in November. I can’t see any podcasts or features exploring this important and under-appreciated record. (I believe Never for Ever, a song never released, was recorded at this time). What would be the best way to mark its forty-fifth anniversary do you think?

I think Lionheart does deserve praise, and the anniversary should be written about or discussed in a podcast. I know Ann Powers from National Public Radio did a special on the 40th anniversary for her favorite Kate Bush album The Dreaming, which funnily enough she could only do with the BBC because NPR (in our native America) had no interest in a whole hour-long feature on a Kate Bush album that was not Hounds of Love. Lionheart is a special album that found its way to becoming an underrated album that many Queer fans found a special place in their hearts for, and I am so happy she made it.

Finally, and for being a good sport, you can choose one song from Lionheart to end with. What do you want to go with?

The song I am going to pick is probably an obvious choice, but I am going with the first single, Hammer Horror - the unofficial spiritual sequel to Wuthering Heights. It reminds me “to keep the lights on to ease my soul”.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Bethany Cosentino

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Bethany Cosentino

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EVEN though….

Best Coast have not parted ways, the Los Angeles duo are on a hiatus. Consisting of songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Bethany Cosentino and guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno, their most recent album, Always Tomorrow, was released in 2020. Bethany Cosentino is now embarking on a solo career. In fact, her debut solo album, Natural Disaster, came out on 28th July and received some great reviews. Even if it may take a few albums for Cosentino to establish her solo sound and win over all critics, she has huge potential and promise as a solo album. I will come to a review of Natural Disaster to end. Before that, there are a few interviews worth sourcing. Stereogum wanted to know more about Cosentino’s sound and her solo aesthetic. It is a fascinating interview you should check out. I have selected part of it to highlight here:

“You started teasing your first-ever solo album on social media well before the actual announcement happened. Was it a relief when the announcement happened along with the release of “It’s Fine”

Bethany Cosentino: I feel very relieved. I have been holding onto this secret for a while. It was fun to keep it secret, and I think it was necessary for me to keep it secret as well, because it removed a lot of the pressure around what I was doing. But at the same time, it was starting to make me go a little cuckoo. As I started approaching the announce, I was every day like, “Oh my fucking God, I cannot hold onto this one second longer.”

Now that it’s out there, I feel a big sigh of relief. It goes from anticipatory anxiety to a busy schedule, and all of the other anxieties start to trickle in… But I’m very, very, very excited. I feel very ready to talk about this, and really ready to step into this next chapter.

Your press materials describe how you started giving thought to a solo move in 2020, in the pandemic’s early days. But given how many years you’d been doing Best Coast, was this something you had been thinking about even pre-2020?

Cosentino: I had definitely thought about making a solo record or a very different style of record. When Always Tomorrow came out in 2020, it was the first Best Coast record in five years. It was the first headline touring that we had done in a while, and I was very invested in this new chapter of Best Coast. It’s so funny because five years doesn’t really feel like it’s that long of a break, but if a band goes away for one to two years, people are like, “Where did they go?” So it was kind of this comeback moment, and I had definitely been thinking at that time about [a solo move] because I’m one of those people that the second something comes out, I’m like, “What’s the next thing?” I have a very hard time sitting in the present, which I’m working on.

So I had thought about it, but it wasn’t really on my mood board for the next five years. It was just sort of a thought that I had. Then when the pandemic really hit, we had to come off the road, and we kept trying to reschedule these tours. I just felt like the universe was, from all sides, being like, “Hey, you know that idea you have about doing a different kind of record? Why don’t you try to explore that now?” It was within that period that I realized, “Oh, I have the time to do this.” I think if the pandemic wouldn’t have happened, I would have just had just my eye on the prize of doing the Best Coast album cycle and seeing what happened with that.

I think the pandemic probably forced all of us to reevaluate what was going on. I feel like I can’t talk about this without talking about pandemic, which is annoying, because I feel like we all want to move past it. But it’s impossible not to, because I think it’s really what led me to end up here.

There’s been some discussion about Natural Disaster’s tone, your shift in aesthetic, and the sound. I’ve seen a lot of comparisons to Sheryl Crow, and I personally thought of Jenny Lewis a little bit. When you were working on what the sound of this would be, how did you want Natural Disaster to reflect your present-day tastes?

Cosentino: I think the necessary piece of the puzzle for me, in order to really lean into present-day Bethany’s interests and what she listens to, was removing the box of Best Coast. I talk a lot about how I felt critically – and from a public perception – put into this box. But I also think that I kept myself in that box. I think that people moved on from the “lazy-crazy-baby” ’60s lo-fi, sunny-pop thing. But because I did not know what I felt that I identified as anymore, I clung to that. I would see the criticism, and I would be like, “Okay, they know better than me.” That’s when I finally decided, “This is not going to be a Best Coast record, this is going to be a Bethany Cosentino record, I’m going to step out on my own. I’m going to just follow all of the things that I want to follow, all of the things that are influencing me.”

I didn’t feel beholden to anything. I really felt free to explore all of my interests. I would say that the real influences behind this record are things that I’ve always loved, and things that I’ve always listened to. Like, I’m a massive Indigo Girls fan, I love all of the Lilith Fair era, female-fronted ’90s music. That’s all shit that I listened to as a teenager, but I couldn’t really make a Lilith Fair-ian Best Coast song. Technically, sure I could have, but I just didn’t feel that it was right. It didn’t feel like an organic thing to do.

At the top of the pandemic, when it was still that period of not being able to do anything, I would take these long walks with my dog, I would just listen to music. I just went back to being a fan of music and listening, immersing myself in stuff that I had always loved, but forgotten about. It’s funny, because I was really listening to the music that I discovered as a teen, which was Sheryl Crow. I loved Sheryl Crow, growing up. I was listening to a lot of Shania Twain. I was listening to Counting Crows. I was listening to a lot of stuff from the ’90s that was on the radio when I was a kid.

I feel like it went into the DNA of what I knew that I was going to create. Even shit like Michelle Branch, The Spirit Room, that was one of my favorite records when I was in the eighth grade. I was just like, “Nobody really makes music like this anymore. This music is just so carefree, it’s uplifting, it feels good.” So I just started to chase that kind of stuff. Because it was a secret, I didn’t really care. I was like, “I don’t really care if people think the Counting Crows are cool, because I think the Counting Crows are cool. And I love that songwriting, and I’m going to make my own version of that kind of shit.”

Nobody knew that I was doing it, so I didn’t have to deal with any of the external, “What do you mean you like Dave Matthews Band?” I got to just be like, “I like what I like, and that’s fine”.

I am going to move things on. There are a lot of great interviews out there with Bethany Cosentino. I have selected a few but, if you are interested in her music, go and check the recent ones out. DIY sat down with her and discussed her debut solo album. Natural Disaster seemed like it was a long time in the making. She talks about the last Beast Coast album and transferring to her solo work:

“Her first record under her own name, though, involves changes of a deeper and more wholesale kind. They were inspired, in part, by the frustration surrounding the last Best Coast album - the endearingly poppy ‘Always Tomorrow’ - released in February 2020 and, accordingly, soon swallowed up by the pandemic.

“It got swept under the rug,” Bethany sighs on a Zoom call from her Los Angeles home. “Not that it was anybody’s fault. But I did start asking myself, ‘What more do I want out of my life? What do I want to do differently?’ And I didn’t feel like I could reinvent myself again as Best Coast; I felt as if I’d always be in a certain box under that name. So I thought I’d see what would happen without it, and the result of that experiment and that faith in myself is ‘Natural Disaster’.”

The title suggests that her knack for witty self-deprecation remains intact, but nearly everything else is new. First, there’s the sound. Through all their reimaginings, Best Coast stayed true to scuzzy guitars of some description, whereas now there’s a country-folk feel, encompassing acoustic and slide playing; it all revolves around a new sonic nucleus of Bethany’s vocals, which have never sounded as rich, confident and unadorned by effects as they are here.

Having always cited the likes of Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie and Linda Ronstadt as influences, never before have these musicians informed Bethany’s own songwriting as keenly as they do on ‘Natural Disaster’, where the songs have a classic feel pitched somewhere between Emmylou Harris and Sheryl Crow. “As corny as it sounds, I think stripping away the persona or identity that your stage name gives you means that you can bear your soul more,” she reflects. “I was giving myself permission to be Bethany Cosentino, and that involves channelling some of those influences more honestly than I had before, and it also meant being able to talk about all these things I was reckoning with and digging through.”

Now 36, Cosentino is no longer the fresh-faced stoner girl singing wistfully of doomed summer romances. With the plaintive pining of early hit ‘Boyfriend’ a thing of the past, she’s instead tackling bigger issues these days. On ‘Easy’, the kind of swooning piano ballad that would have been way out of bounds for Best Coast, she taps into the approach of another of her key California touchpoints, Gwen Stefani, ruminating on the future and potential motherhood in a manner reminiscent of No Doubt’s ‘Simple Kind of Life’.

“I knew that I wanted to challenge myself, and get super fucking uncomfortable,” she explains. “And that probably meant that there were many different times in the process where I threw my hands up in the air and said, ‘What the fuck am I doing?’ That definitely happened, but I wanted to be really specific about the stuff that I wanted to talk about, which is why a lot of the album is just wildly vulnerable in ways I’ve never been before”.

The penultimate interview is from DORK. They go into detail with their questions and investigation of Natural Disaster. There is a positivity and sense of encouragement and motivation that comes through. Bethany Cosentino is going to grow even more amazing and assured as a solo artist in years to come:

“The album is a record about living in the moment and making the most of life. “The song that conveys the message of the album is ‘For A Moment’, which is really about the understanding that nothing is guaranteed,” she explains. “If nothing is guaranteed, why not lean into love, lean into joy, experience all of life in its hard times, wonderful times and mediocre, boring times? Even if you’re only experiencing those things for 30 seconds, it’s like having a container in yourself where you can store these really big important, beautiful moments that push you through when you look around, and the world is burning down.

“The record doesn’t feel like it belongs to one genre or category, and that was the thing I was most proud of. Every song feels like it can live on a different playlist. I wanted to make something that gave people hope and joy in a time of real joylessness.”

The freedom to finally make this album comes from a much-changed musical landscape from when Bethany first emerged making lo-fi bedroom recordings back in 2008. “Because the industry is so different and in a lot of ways collapsing and having to be rebuilt, there are no rules to be beholden to.,” she says. “You can do whatever you want. You look at pop music, and the things that are popular now exist in so many different categories. There doesn’t feel like there’s this one thing that you strive to be. I try to see the silver lining that nothing matters anymore, and you can do whatever the fuck you want.”

With that newfound freedom of expression, the possibilities are endless for Bethany. “I see this as the start of a new chapter.,” she says excitedly. 15 years in and making the album of her career, Bethany Cosentino is beginning to rewrite her pop story, and we’re very much here for the ride”.

Prior to getting to a review of the excellent Natural Disaster, there is one more feature I want to highlight. For The Line of Best Fit’s Nine Songs feature, Cosentino chose nine tracks that mean a lot to her or have inspired her music. There was one particular that stood out to me – as it is a song that I really love too:

“Don't Speak” by No Doubt

If I'm going chronologically, The Chicks “Wide Open Space” represents the side of me where I wasn't fully aware of the way the world worked yet, I was still young enough that I was like, ‘Oh, this is just fun.’

But when I first saw Gwen Stefani, I had never seen a woman as the front woman of a band who wore crop tops and exposed her abs. She was very feminine and girly, but at the same time she was also tough. Out of all the bands I discovered in my formative years, the discovery of No Doubt and the discovery of Gwen Stefani was wildly impactful on the person that I later became.

But this song is not the rambunctious punk of No Doubt. I think a theme through all of these songs is that I'm a very emotional person, I'm a very deep person, I love to analyse people and I think this is one of most beautiful breakup songs. It's one of the best sad songs.

It's the delivery of her vocals, the lines, how she sums it up with the words ‘don’t speak’. You think about going through a breakup, where you experience all the levels of grief, and it's ‘I don't even need for you to speak. I don't need to hear from you. I don't need you to say anything. I know exactly what you're thinking. I know exactly what's happening.’

I’d listen song over and over and over again. I had a twin sized bed with a pink metal frame, and I would lay on my back staring up at the ceiling in my bedroom listening to it. I was 13 or 14 and I had never experienced heartbreak, but the song resonated so much with me, and she resonated so much with me. It's really funny for me to think about being young, listening to the song, and being ‘I know, I feel you’, I had probably had two crushes on boys at that point so I probably thought, ‘Oh my god, life is so hard!’ But that was the first time I’d seen a female frontwoman and I was like, ‘This is what I need, I need more of this’.

Best Coast actually got to open for No Doubt twice. It was incredible, you talk about living out your childhood dreams, and that was the epitome, the pinnacle of living out my childhood dreams. I've been very fortunate to open for the majority of the bands I was obsessed with, Weezer, blink-182 Green Day, all of this stuff that I loved as a teen, but No Doubt in particular was so special for me because Gwen was such an impactful figure in my life.

“Don’t Speak’ is so beautiful, the music video is epic, it’s everything about this song. There’s a flamenco guitar, which is such an anomaly on that album. You put Tragic Kingdom on and there's all these up-tempo songs and then it's just like, ‘Bamm!’ This song comes and takes over the entire room”.

I will finish with a review for Natural Disaster. You can buy the album here. This is what NME said when they sat down to share their thoughts regarding an album that everyone needs to have a listen to. It is an album I have listened to quite a few times since it came out:

“Produced by musician Butch Walker at his Nashville studio, Cosentino’s LP smiles back at the precarious nature of life, the passing of time and love through a pop-folk-coloured lens. The album’s title track was influenced by the early days of the pandemic, the internal struggle of thinking nothing matters anymore and everything matters even more simultaneously, all played out against twangy, bright guitars.

‘It’s Fine’ takes on the form of ’90s radio hit, as she sings “Look at all the pink flowers in the rearview / Reminds me of the seasons that I wasted on you” over rock-and-roll meets country pop arrangements. Her track ‘Outta Time’ enlists pedal-steel work and mandolins in a climbing anthem about urgently searching for signs and the unavoidable passing of time, backed by a big chorus and a hearty guitar solo.

Album closer, ‘I’ve Got News For You’, drives the message of risk and reward home in stripped-back demo form, a decision Cosentino and Walker made to not masquerade the vulnerable message behind the fragile piano ballad. In it, she sings, “I got news for you if we go down this road there’s so much more to lose / Am I the only one whose scared of believing this is true love / Do you feel it too?”  before her voice cracks at the refrain and she gives into the songs prevailing emotion. It’s the same heartbreakingly optimistic feeling tying together each track of the album.

In May, Cosentino announced her solo debut the same day Best Coast announced their “indefinite hiatus”. It was a bold move, but judging by the fruits of ‘Natural Disaster’, it was worth it. “It’s really scary to take those risks and make big changes in your life,” she said at the time. “But what you find on the other side can be so magical.” So it is”.

If you are not aware of Bethany Cosentino or were not conscious of Best Coast, go and check out her terrific solo album. I think that we will hear a lot more solo albums from Cosentino – and I am not sure what the future holds for Best Coast. A wonderful songwriter and compelling artist, there were so many reasons why I wanted to spotlight her. Make sure that Bethany Cosentino is…

ON your radar.

___________

Follow Bethany Cosentino

PHOTO CREDIT: Shervin Lainez

Official:

https://bethanycosentino.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/bethany_cosentino/

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@bethanycosentino

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/BethanyCoast

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuomPheR93JbPw5VWW8ow9g

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/bethanycosentin0/

FEATURE: Turning the Dial: The Radio Queens I Admire

FEATURE:

 

 

Turning the Dial

IN THIS PHOTO: Claudia Winkleman/PHOTO CREDIT: Matt Monfredi

The Radio Queens I Admire

_________

THERE is a feature from last year…

 IMAGE CREDIT: Freepik

that I want to reference in a bit. I think I wrote about this a couple of years ago or so, but I wanted to salute some of the amazing women making British radio what it is. Even though there is gender disparity when it comes to women being included on radio playlists, there are more female broadcasters being heard than in recent years. Once was the day when stations were dominated by men. That is still the case across some stations, yet I think that the dial has changed a fair bit – thought there is still some way to go. I will quote from the aforementioned 2022 feature in a second, before naming and saluting the amazing female broadcasters across the stations I listen to and love. Of course, women on all stations deserve respect and support. The reason for returning to this subject now is because I feel that the most engaging and best shows on the radio are helmed by women. From Lauren Laverne’s BBC Radio 6 Music breakfast show commanding 1.4 million listeners to BBC Radio 2’s Zoe Ball reigning as one of the legends and queens of the broadcasting world. there is a young generation emerging looking up to these airwave icons. I will go station to station across the BBC (BBC Radio 1 (and its sister stations), BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, in addition to a selection of others. One thing that struck me about the You Magazine celebration from 2022 is that there is so much diversity on the airwaves. In terms of age, background and race, there is this representation that has not always been there. When I was growing up, there were very few women on the mainstream radio stations - let alone diversity in other areas.  I have not got time to do a biography and big spiel on every amazing woman on all stations, but I will nod to them all and highlight their show page(s).

IN THIS PHOTO: Lauren Laverne/PHOTO CREDIT: Matthew Eades

First, I want to come to that feature. Six amazing women across different stations came together to discuss their careers and celebrate the rise of women in radio. Those women were/are Lauren Laverne, Zoe Ball, Clara Amfo, Claudia Winkleman, Moira Stuart and Myleene Klass. I will highlight Moira Stewart, Lauren Laverne and Claudia Winkleman separately, but I want to source interview extracts from Zoe Ball, Mylene Klass and Clara Amfo:

“Not so long ago the biggest shows across the stations were almost all presented by men, but look across the schedules today and so many of the most popular DJs and presenters are women – and collectively, our hosts reach more than 20 million listeners.

Clara, 37, who presents on Radio 1, welcomes these changes and says they

are long overdue. ‘When I was first on commercial radio in 2012 I told my then boss that I would really love to host a certain show. It just so happened that the show before it was also presented by a woman, and the reason my boss gave for turning me down was that: “Listeners don’t like to hear two women back to back”. It was ridiculous!’

Clara, whose parents emigrated from Ghana, grew up in London and got her first taste of radio on a school trip to the Design Museum where Capital had set up a studio for kids to record a few links. ‘I had a go and thought, “I need to do this.”’

IN THIS PHOTO: Clara Amfo/PHOTO CREDIT: Matthew Eades 

She got her start as an intern on Kiss FM and found an early supporter and mentor in one of the women here today. ‘The first time I met Claudia was at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards,’ says Clara, embracing her friend. ‘I didn’t know anyone but I’ve always been a massive fan so I went up to her quite shyly and introduced myself. She was so nice and lovely that day, and has been my energy queen and life coach ever since.’

Claudia is as gloriously offbeat as ever at 50, making gentle fun not just of this love-in but of the age difference between its participants. ‘I’ve actually just breastfed Clara – I don’t know if that’s too much information for you. I’m just flagging it up.’

Nobody knows this more than Myleene Klass, 43, who suffered a devastating miscarriage while broadcasting at the Smooth Radio studios in Leicester Square a few years ago and says it was her close friend Lauren Laverne who came to the rescue. ‘I went to the loo while the music was playing and there was blood everywhere. I didn’t know what to do. I had one hour left of my show. I rang Lauren and she said: “Do one link, take a breath, come out and call me.”’

It must have been so traumatic. ‘Lauren got me through. I did the next link and called her. We counted the links. I would go out, sob and come back in, take a deep breath and speak. I don’t know what I would have done [without her].’

IN THIS PHOTO: Myleene Klass/PHOTO CREDIT: Matthew Eades

Looking around at our shoot, Myleene is struck by the diversity in the room – one that is reflected on the airwaves. ‘You’ve got black girls here, white girls, I’m representing Southeast Asian girls. There’s such a mix. We’ve each had to elbow our way through and speak up, use our voices, literally, to get a place at this table. And here we are, representing so many. It’s extremely powerful,’ she says enthusiastically. ‘If I had to go back and explain this to my 15-year-old self, I don’t think she would ever believe it.’

Myleene has shows on both Smooth and Classic FM at the weekends, switching over from pop to classical music, but then that has always been her life. As a teenager in Norfolk she was classically trained before taking part in the reality series Popstars and being chosen for the band Hear’Say. That was when she met a zippy TV host called Zoe Ball.

‘My first lovely radio memories are of my dad,’ says Zoe, 51, whose father is former children’s TV presenter and national treasure Johnny Ball. ‘On a Saturday, he would listen to the football in the garage while doing DIY. Sundays, it would be all the big-band and jazz shows on Radio 2. And then there was Terry Wogan, who was hilarious and warm, like an uncle you’d never met.’

She has grown into one of the BBC’s most trusted and best-paid presenters, benefitting from the drive towards equality with a substantial pay rise when she took over the top-rated Radio 2 breakfast show from Chris Evans in 2019. ‘I think things are getting better for women. I don’t think we’re quite there yet. But I look at my daughter [Nelly, who at the age of 12 has been appearing as a DJ at festivals alongside her father Fatboy Slim] and I think: “OK – yeah, things are improving.”’

I ask her why she thinks women are flourishing on radio right now and she says, ‘There’s a softness to women. I think there’s that mothering, nurturing element. We’re good at listening.’

 IN THIS PHOTO: Mary Anne Hobbs/PHOTO CREDIT: Marcus Hessenberg

There are not many regular features celebrating women in radio. Normally, when they are published, it is tied to a news stories or statistics showing a rise in listener figures relating to shows hosted by women. I mean there usually is a catalyst or occasion that leads to these features. Instead, why wait for this?! Since 2022, there has been a rise in the power and influence of women in radio. Broadcasters like Zoe Ball, Lauren Laverne and their sisters that featured in that You Magazine interview special have helped shift a narrative that for decades has been all about men. Rather than this being a subject about division, it is about inclusiveness and recognition. I adore men in radio and all the wonderful broadcasters we have – from Tony Blackburn and Shaun Keaveny through to Greg James and Ore Olukoga, there is a wealth of phenomenal talent through mainstream and independent radio. I want to make special mention of radio pioneer, Annie Nightingale. The first woman on BBC Radio 1, she is still at the station today. Someone who has opened doors and paved the way for so many other women. The new wave of exceptional and diverse talent that is on British radio is inspiring. Below is part of a BBC article relating to Annie Nightingale being interviewed by Professor David Hendy in 2018 for the Connected Histories of the BBC project:

“We tend to take particular notice of the women who come first. When Radio 1 decided that they needed a 'token woman', Nightingale was there, ready and eminently qualified. Her standing as the only female DJ continued for 12 years until Janice Long joined Radio 1 in 1982.

It was not until the 1990s and the 'girlification' of Radio 1 with the likes of Sara Cox, Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball, that Nightingale's exceptionality became her longevity and impact rather than her gender alone.

IN THIS PHOTO: The wonderful Annie Nightingale in 1970/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC

The radio itself is a reference point in her interviews and memories, beginning with the small white Bakelite wireless bought by her father, through which she listened to BBC children's serials, and later, Radio Luxembourg. Her intimate relationship with radio and with the audience was formed at this time:

"The breakaway moment came when my Dad who was always obsessed with tuning the radio in properly and you'd have it on a dial and it would say all these places like Prague and Hilversum which were kind of magic. They might have been on another planet. I didn't know where Hilversum was, or Prague, but these are places you could tune your radio in and it was like a mystery. I still feel that romance. I still feel when you're broadcasting, you don’t know where it’s going, and it could be reaching outer space somewhere and I am still in love with that, completely." - Annie Nightingale, interviewed by Professor David Hendy, London, 9 February 2018.

That small radio, says Nightingale, gave her the power to listen to her own music, independent of her parents. This seems to sum up that post war generation, the beneficiaries of their parent's generation, who were able to use those benefits to develop their own lives and styles. It also directly relates to the inclusive intimacy of her presentation style.

Listening to that radio, she felt that the pirate DJs she heard were talking just to her: "Once I had my own little radio, then I was in my own world, and it was just me and the radio. So anyone who was speaking out the radio was talking to me," she told Russell Davies in a BBC Radio 2 interview.

The experiences that Nightingale reiterates in her interviews and writing are the stories that matter. She has often talked about how she shifted from managing a band to presenting a pop music programme on television, about how she was initially locked out of the BBC, confronted by sexism in ways that she had not experienced as a print journalist.

She describes the independence of being an evening DJ compared with a daytime presenter tied to the playlist, and mastering the technical aspects of broadcasting. Each of these stories maps change, reminds us of who helped (and who didn’t) and demands that we remember the work of all the women who came first.

There is a long history to forgetting that women have ever stood on a stage, or driven a mixing desk before. When Nightingale talks about women, the radio and the popular music, she does so in ways that acknowledge the women who were in the industry, and the barriers that they faced.

In the interview Nightingale recalls her first attempt to get an on-air position soon after Radio 1 was launched. Despite her wealth of experience as a music journalist and TV presenter, she was rejected because of the assumption that DJs were "husband substitutes" speaking to housewives. This story is a useful insight into gendered assumptions behind who speaks, and who listens and for what purpose.

In 1977 journalist Mileva Ross found that although the majority of radio listeners in the UK were women, it was generally believed that women preferred men on the air, and that at Radio 1 and 2, "the old sexist way of keeping women as the silent sex, to be talked to but not heard, has gone virtually unchallenged".

Whereas Nightingale knew that women listeners wanted to hear women, and - as her own career showed - not all women stayed at home. She reminds us that it is not that women didn't ask to be allowed behind the mixing desk or mic - they were actively "locked out".

Nightingale's experience of being asked by Vicki Wickam, producer of ITV pop music programme Ready Steady Go! to present a new sister programme called That's for Me has important resonances. She recalls being an accidental careerist, and offers examples of women offering chances to other women, when the doors were shut elsewhere”.

The incredible women are not only compelling and giving opportunity and influence to young female broadcasters and those hoping to get into the industry. They are inspiring hopeful broadcasters of all genders. One big reason why I wanted to spotlight some incredible women – though I realise I sadly will omit some – is because the pandemic meant that radio was an essential outlet and friend.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Sian Eleri

Across BBC Radio, there are so many amazing women whose shows are essential listening. On BBC Radio 1, there is - among others but not all - Radio 1's Future Soul with Victoria Jane, Radio 1's Power Down Playlist with Sian Eleri, Radio 1 Anthems with Nat O’Leary, BBC Introducing on Radio 1 with Gemma Bradley, and Radio 1's Future Artists with Arielle Free. BBC Radio 1 Dance has the iconic Annie Nightingale. A shout-out to Radio 1X’s and 1Xtra Breakfast with Nadia Jae. Fee Mak provides good vibes and incredible tunes. Among the wonderful and must-hear shows on BBC Radio helmed by women is The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, Sara Cox, Radio 2 Unwinds with Angela Griffin, and Claudia Winkleman. BBC Radio 3’s This Classical Life is hosted by Jess Gillam. Naga Munchetty brings news and big name interviews from the U.K. on her Radio 5 show. I want to nod to Moira Stewart Meets… on Classic FM. Her Sunday night show features interviews from the worlds of culture, politics, sport and entertainment. Ending with BBC Radio 6 Music and there is Emily Pilbeam, who has been sitting in for Chris Hawkins recently, but she deserves her own slot on the station. She hosts BBC Music Introducing in West Yorkshire. I will talk more about Lauren Laverne and her hugely popular breakfast show (she is also the host of BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs). Mary Anne Hobbs is a broadcast icon, as is Jamz Supernova. Sophie K, Sarah Champion, and Leona Graham are among the amazing women on Absolute Radio. Simone Marie, Gracie Convert, Georgie Rodgers and Anna Prior are among the queens of Soho Radio (alongside the wonderful Iraina Mancini. Rio Fredrika, Lauren Layfield and Kemi Rodgers are incredible Capital broadcasters. Myleene Klass on Smooth Radio is a Saturday afternoon essential stop! She is a wonderful broadcaster, as is Emma Bunton on Heart. A final shout-out to Asian Network’s Noreen Khan and Nikita Kanda.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Fee Mak/PHOTO CREDIT: BBC

That is merely a selection of wonderful female voices across the BBC and other radio stations/networks across the U.K. I am going to end with a bit about some of my radio heroines in a future feature, and how things are changing in radio. If recent nonsense articles like this from, The Guardian claims BBC Radio 6 Music has lost its way somehow, I would disagree vehemently! It is the passion and commitment from the broadcaster on the station that make it such a lifeline and haven. Incredible women on the station like Lauren Laverne and Deb Grant have been a source of strength, comfort and inspiration. Not to exclude men, but I think it is the women of radio that are changing the game and at the front of the most immersive, powerful, inclusive and memorable shows. That may be bias or subjective - though I know I am not alone. At the very least, I wanted to follow up on that 2022 article I started with to show how much richness there is on British radio! There is not quite true equality across stations in terms of gender, yet the phenomenal shows and voices show women are defining and reshaping radio. I know that this will continue strong. Many radio stations do need to create a better gender balance when it comes to their roster. Some amazing radio queens and pioneers are gamechangers that are inspiring so many people – not only those wanting to get into radio, but their listeners too. I know there are incredible voices I am missing, so feel free to list those (not deliberately) omitted. Despite the fact there has been a big advance in the number of female solo voices on U.K. radio, there are still very few female duos; many radio stations have disproportionately more male broadcasters. The innovators and incredible women creating radio gold and blazing that trail. The industry still needs to do more to ensure there is greater gender balance across most major radio stations. I think that this will happen…

IN THIS PHOTO: Zoe Ball/PHOTO CREDIT: Matthew Eades

VERY soon.

FEATURE: Revisiting… Soccer Mommy - Sometimes, Forever

FEATURE:

 

 

Revisiting…

Soccer Mommy - Sometimes, Forever

_________

THE most recent…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Sophie Hur

album from Soccer Mommy (Sophia Regina Allison), Sometimes, Forever got great reviews where it was released - but you do not really hear it played much on the radio. I use this Revisiting… feature to look at albums from the past five years that were either overlooked or warrant new focus now. Sometimes, Forever falls into the latter category. Following on from 2020’s Color Theory, Soccer Mommy’s third studio album may be her best so far. I am going to get to a couple of reviews for it soon. If you are new to Soccer Mommy, then I would adviser to go back to her 2018 debut, Clean, and then work your way forward. Such a distinct songwriter and wonderful artist, her music warrants greater exposure and spotlight. Despite the album charting low in the U.S. and U.K., it was voted among the best of last year by many critics. The critical reviews were extremely positive too. Before getting to a couple of reviews for the amazing Sometimes, Forever, it is worth starting with an interview. In her chat with Rolling Stone, Soccer Mommy discussed the album and her relationship with social media:

“SOPHIE ALLISON LISTENS to a lot of country radio. “I hear all these songs about guys and their trucks,” the singer-songwriter behind Soccer Mommy says, calling from her Tennessee home a few weeks before her 25th birthday. “It’s so goofy, but it speaks to you, especially when you’re from the South.” That imagery inspired Allison to write “Feel It All the Time,” a hazy rocker about her own pickup. “It was a challenge to myself,” she says. “The idea of mentioning my truck in a song and having it not be, like, the cheesiest thing you’ve ever heard.”

She won that bet and then some. “Feel It All the Time” appears on her third studio LP, Sometimes, Forever, produced by avant-garde noisemaker Daniel Lopatin. “It’s important to constantly be trying to change yourself,” she adds. “I don’t ever want to be in a box.”

You’ve described the theme of this record as being that sorrow and happiness are not permanent feelings. What does that mean to you?

It’s about accepting that everything in life comes in waves. Nothing is really permanent. But, at the same time, so many things are forever. For me, that’s always been something that’s hard to grasp, because I’m a very concrete thinker. I want to be like, “This is how things are, and there’s a reason.” Especially when it comes to emotions, I’ve always been wanting to be able to pinpoint why I feel the way I feel and how to stop it if I’m not enjoying it, or how to move past it. That’s just not the reality. The reality is that things come and go. They’re always going to return.

That’s why I wanted to make [Sometimes, Forever] the title. But the album is not really thematic like Color Theory. There’s a lot of opposites pulling at each other, conflicting thoughts and feelings, even on specific songs. It’s the way my life goes.

There’s some intense imagery on this album — like the line on “Darkness Forever” where you allude to Sylvia Plath’s suicide. How did you get there?

The song got started when I literally had the thought, “I could imagine why you would want to do that.” At the time, I was feeling very overwhelmed and paranoid, and my brain was on fire. The song is about taking that and twisting it into this idea of burning down your house and everything in it, including yourself, to expel the demons that live within you.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sophie Hur 

There’s a sense of magic on the album, too.

That’s funny, because me and Dan would joke, “We’ve got the normal songs, and then we’ve got the evil songs, and the magic songs.” There is a lot of dark fantasy and some mysticism happening.

On “Feel It All the Time,” you sing, “I’m just 22 going on 23/Already worn down from everything.” How do you feel now, in your mid-twenties?

That song is one of my favorites, from a songwriting standpoint. I’m making this metaphor of comparing my body to my truck, because it’s a 2002 — it’s pretty old. I was comparing my life span to this truck’s life span and wanting to cling to this freedom: just driving my truck on a long road with the window down, this lightness of time, and stress not existing.

Do you miss the DIY scene you came up in, playing small venues in New York like Silent Barn?

Oh, my God. I loved Silent Barn. My first-ever show as Soccer Mommy was there. It was fun and exciting. All these cities have their own DIY scenes where it runs on people’s generosity — it’s so community-oriented. It’s a much more fun way, until you get to a point where I could no longer do that, even if I wanted to. You’d get mobbed. Venues that don’t have space for you to be away from people can be a little bit uncomfortable and creepy. It’s unfortunate that you can’t just do that forever.

Has fame lived up to your expectations?

I do not enjoy it. But I also never thought that I would particularly enjoy it, either. I never was like, “When I’m famous . . . ” I’m just not very comfortable with strangers. I’m a Gemini. I’ve become more reclusive, for sure, but I’m fine with it. I can still go out to a show in Nashville. I don’t think I’m some celebrity that can’t go out”.

I am going to move onto some reviews. So many glowing and impassioned reviews for a magnificent album. It is a shame that the songs from Sometimes, Forever are not really heard that much on the radio. Let’s hope that this changes! In their review, this is what CLASH noted about Soccer Mommy’s third studio album:

“What is a dream but a light in the darkness, a lie that you wish would come true?” On ‘newdemo’, Soccer Mommy offers listeners some of her most experimental exploring yet. True to the gentle vocals her fans know and adore, 25-year-old Sophie Allison blends atmospheric string sounds and new wave influences as she enters new sonic territory. From the way she embellishes tracks with tambourines and electronic flourishes, ‘Sometimes, Forever’ is a marker of a completely new era.

On her second single ‘Unholy Affliction’ a darker, more mystical side was teased, her most haunting yet, until we reach the magical ‘Darkness Forever’. Here, the singer’s angelic vocals are placed against an unsettling backdrop. Haunting synths and grungier guitar riffs linger as the songwriter provides intense imagery, alluding to the suicide of Sylvia Plath.

Whilst embarking on a project that can be defined as broadening the borders of her trademark aesthetic, Soccer Mommy pens “I wanna know what's wrong / With all of the ways I am / I'm trying to be someone / That you could love and understand / But I know that I'm not.” Her unsparing lyrics and ability to create addictive melodies have not disappeared. Speaking directly to the most self-deprecating of us, Allison covers the common, everyday anxieties that plague our thoughts. “Bones” proves how the familiar can be amped up just a little more, to create a more expansive, yet comforting sound.

Closing with the intricate and introspective ‘Still’ Soccer Mommy sings, “I don’t know how to feel things small, it’s a tidal wave and nothing at all.” Encapsulating the beauty of Sophie Allison’s art in one line, the acoustic track reflects how ‘Sometimes, Forever’ takes risks, embodies the freeing, ephemeral nature of life, and the joy of following your inner monologue as you follow hers.

8/10”.

I will wrap things up with a review from The Line of Best Fit. Awarding it 9/10, they were hugely impressed by what they heard. Anyone who has not listened to Sometimes, Forever really to spend some time with it. The more you listen, the more layers are revealed. I did first hear it when it came out last year. I have been spending a lot more time with it recently:

“But nothing could prepare for the staggering emotional heights scaled on Allison’s sophomore album Color Theory, which centred around her depression and her mother’s terminal illness.

On the centrepiece of that album – the seven-minute epic “Yellow is The Color of Her Eyes” – she sang of her mother’s fading health and her inability to hold herself together in the face of it. “Loving you isn’t enough / You’ll still be deep in the ground when it’s done / I’ll know the day when it comes / I feel the cold as they put out my sun” are the song’s final lines. The song – and the album it accompanied – solidified Allison as one of the most talented musicians of her generation; the lyrics were awe-inspiring and harrowing, yet, the melodies were tightly wound and expertly crafted, leaving you with no choice but to play these songs again and again and again.

Allison’s third album, Sometimes, Forever, sees the 25 year old Nashville singer-songwriter teaming up with legendary producer Oneohtrix Point Never, while continuing to create infectious melodies and pen dark truths. Though Sometimes, Forever does boast more of the pop-leaning, young love and heart-break anthems that Allison was originally known for.

“Shotgun”, the album’s lead single, signalled Allison’s return in this direction, “So whenever you want me, I’ll be around / I’m a bullet in a shotgun waiting to sound”, she sings, sounding lovestruck. Boasting a superbly catchy chorus, it's an anthemic slice of pop-perfection that captures those magical moments in a blossoming relationship where consuming “cold beer and ice cream” together and watching each other “stumbling in the hall” feels like the best experience in the world. After an adolescence spent writing about being on the receiving end of unrequited love and strained relationships, “Shotgun” sees Allison finally find peace in a healthy relationship; “You know I’ll take you as you are / As long as you do me”.

It would be a misnomer, however, to refer to “Shotgun” as being indicative of what the rest of Sometimes, Forever has to offer. Though “Shotgun”'s poppier tendencies carry through on multiple tracks here, Allison’s third LP spends more time focusing on crushing lows than it does euphoric highs. Sure enough, opener “Bones” functions as a sort of sorrowful sibling to “Shotgun”, with Allison pondering “what’s wrong with all of the ways I am” in the wake of a relationship that’s falling apart despite her best efforts. Despite this, however, Allison stumbles upon a revelation towards the song’s midway point, “I’ve bled you out and patched you up again / Far too much to call it love”. It may seem like a small revelation - one that could easily get overshadowed by the sorrow at the heart of “Bones” - but it’s a seismic victory, nonetheless; pinpointing the moment at which the realisation comes that the constant cycle of mutual collapse and repair represents merely an illusion of love.

Accordingly, Sometimes, Forever is an album that despite devoting most of its runtime to the nadirs of the human experience, finds its narrator perpetually striving for salvation. The transcendent, and fittingly rough-around-the-edges, “Newdemo” begins with Allison meditating on all the many disappointments of the world in 2022 before escaping into a fantastical dream, whose promise and limitations she is acutely aware of (“What is a dream / But a light in the darkness / A lie that you wish could come true”). On “Feel It All The Time” – a country-tinged number that evokes Sheryl Crow with a shoegaze edge – Allison pens an ode to her truck and its enduring promise of freedom (“I wanna drive out where the sun shines / Drown out the noise and the way I feel”). “Feel It All The Time” is the sound of someone who spent much of their adolescence battling depression reclaiming their twenties and going out into the world to search for the many allusive promises of youth.

As alluded to by its title, Sometimes, Forever is an album about the transience of feeling and the push and pull of existence. Such is a universal truth of being, and while reassuring, this journey through life’s many peaks and troughs can be dizzying. Such is given a voice on the stunning closer “Still”, which begins with the disarming line, “I don’t how to feel things small / It’s a tidal wave or nothing at all”. Across four increasingly alarming minutes, Allison finds herself getting closer and closer to the cliff edge as she scrambles to make sense of young fame, online abuse and depression. “Okay, you win, I’ll end my life”, she sings at one particularly spine-chilling moment before recounting driving to the bridge to do just, only to ultimately “overthink it”. Elsewhere, she tells of self-harm, feeling dehumanised after reading people’s comments about her and taking “white little pills” to “take it all away”.

It’s a staggeringly powerful, and admirably honest, piece of songwriting – one that leaves listeners wrestling with an indescribable sense of hollowness in its wake. Though an unconventional note to end an album on, it rings true to Allison’s portrait of life – namely that there are few easy, satisfying fixes to life’s toughest battles. Like Sometimes, Forever’s other 10 tracks, it’s an astounding artistic accomplishment that deserves to propel Allison to the very highest ranks of the indie world. Though Allison never fully finds closure on Sometimes, Forever – or at least not for very long – its very existence is a testament to its creator’s continued survival, and the music contained within is a reminder that even in their darkest moments, the listener is never alone – and need never be without hope”.

A magnificent and hugely impressive album from Soccer Mommy, the stunning Sometimes, Forever is one that everyone needs to check out. It is a pity the songs are seldom played on the radio – that may not be the case here, though it definitely is in the U.K. Go and spend a moment or two with a phenomenal album from…

A hugely gifted artist .

FEATURE: Groovelines: The Beatles – Hey Jude

FEATURE:

 

 

Groovelines

IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles on Sunday, 28th July, 1968 during the famous ‘Mad Day’ photographic session/PHOTO CREDIT: Don McCullin

The Beatles – Hey Jude

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THERE is a good reason…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles in February 1968/PHOTO CREDIT: Rex Features/Blackbrow

why I want to bring in this timeless classic from The Beatles. Hey Jude is one of their best-known and adored songs. I am going to introduce some information about an iconic track with a fascinating story. It was released as a 7” single on 26th August, 1968. As it is fifty-five soon, it is a perfect time to spotlight this wonderful and epic song. You can see more information about the song here. Put down between 29th July and 1st August, 1968, this emotion-stirring song is one of The Beatles’ most played and celebrated. That 26th August release date was in the U.S. Hey Jude was released on 30th August, 1968 in the U.K. A number one in many countries around the world – including the U.S. and U.K. -, this Paul McCartney-penned song was written for John Lennon’s son, Julian, during a time when a lot of heavy stuff was going on. A call that things will get better. This encouragement and support from uncle Paul!

“Paul McCartney: vocals, piano, bass

John Lennon: backing vocals, acoustic guitar

George Harrison: backing vocals, electric guitar

Ringo Starr: backing vocals, drums, tambourine

Uncredited: 10 violins, 3 violas, 3 cellos, 2 double basses, 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, 1 bass clarinet, 1 bassoon, 1 contrabassoon, 4 trumpets, 2 horns, 4 trombones, 1 percussion

‘Hey Jude’ was the first release on The Beatles’ own Apple Records label. It was a ballad written by Paul McCartney, to comfort John Lennon’s son Julian during the divorce of his parents.

‘Hey Jude’ is a damn good set of lyrics and I made no contribution to that.

John Lennon, 1980

All We Are Saying, David Sheff

It was written in June 1968, as McCartney drove his Aston Martin to Weybridge to visit Cynthia Lennon and her son. On the journey he began thinking about their changing lives, and of the past times he had spent writing with Lennon at the Weybridge house.

I thought, as a friend of the family, I would motor out to Weybridge and tell them that everything was all right: to try and cheer them up, basically, and see how they were. I had about an hour’s drive. I would always turn the radio off and try and make up songs, just in case… I started singing: ‘Hey Jules – don’t make it bad, take a sad song, and make it better…’ It was optimistic, a hopeful message for Julian: ‘Come on, man, your parents got divorced. I know you’re not happy, but you’ll be OK.’

I eventually changed ‘Jules’ to ‘Jude’. One of the characters in Oklahoma! is called Jud, and I like the name.

Paul McCartney

Anthology

McCartney recorded a piano demo of ‘Hey Jude’ upon his return to his home in Cavendish Avenue, London. On 26 July 1968 played the song to Lennon for the first time.

I finished it all up in Cavendish and I was in the music room upstairs when John and Yoko came to visit and they were right behind me over my right shoulder, standing up, listening to it as I played it to them, and when I got to the line, ‘The movement you need is on your shoulder,’ I looked over my shoulder and I said, ‘I’ll change that, it’s a bit crummy. I was just blocking it out,’ and John said, ‘You won’t, you know. That’s the best line in it!’ That’s collaboration. When someone’s that firm about a line that you’re going to junk, and he said, ‘No, keep it in.’ So of course you love that line twice as much because it’s a little stray, it’s a little mutt that you were about to put down and it was reprieved and so it’s more beautiful than ever. I love those words now…

Time lends a little credence to things. You can’t knock it, it just did so well. But when I’m singing it, that is when I think of John, when I hear myself singing that line; it’s an emotional point in the song.

Paul McCartney

Many Years From Now, Barry Miles

The lyrics struck an immediate chord with the record-buying public, who related to the hopeful sentiments. Its universality was demonstrated when John Lennon later revealed that he felt the song had been directed at him.

He said it was written about Julian, my child. He knew I was splitting with Cyn and leaving Julian. He was driving over to say hi to Julian. He’d been like an uncle to him. You know, Paul was always good with kids. And so he came up with ‘Hey Jude’.

But I always heard it as a song to me. If you think about it… Yoko’s just come into the picture. He’s saying, ‘Hey, Jude – hey, John.’ I know I’m sounding like one of those fans who reads things into it, but you can hear it as a song to me. The words ‘go out and get her’ – subconsciously he was saying, Go ahead, leave me. On a conscious level, he didn’t want me to go ahead. The angel in him was saying, ‘Bless you.’ The devil in him didn’t like it at all because he didn’t want to lose his partner.

John Lennon, 1980

All We Are Saying, David Sheff

It wasn’t until 1987 that McCartney came to discuss ‘Hey Jude’ with Julian Lennon, after a chance encounter in a New York hotel.

He told me that he’d been thinking about my circumstances all those years ago, about what I was going through. Paul and I used to hang out a bit – more than dad and I did. We had a great friendship going and there seem to be far more pictures of me and Paul playing together at that age than there are pictures of me and dad.

Julian Lennon

Mojo, February 2002

The recording notes for ‘Hey Jude’ were bought at auction by Julian Lennon in 1996 for £25,000. In 2002 a sale of the original handwritten lyrics was announced by Christie’s in London, with an estimated price of £80,000. Paul McCartney took out a court order to prevent the auction, saying the paper had disappeared from his London home.

Although by 1968 The Beatles had stopped performing live, the anthemic ending of ‘Hey Jude’ was perfect for crowd participation. It was fitting, then, when later years McCartney made it a key part of his live shows.

I went into the Apple shop just before ‘Hey Jude’ was being released. The windows were whited out, and I thought: ‘Great opportunity. Baker Street, millions of buses going around…’ So, before anyone knew what it meant, I scraped ‘Hey Jude’ out of the whitewash.

A guy who had a delicatessen in Marylebone rang me up, and he was furious: ‘I’m going to send one of my sons round to beat you up.’ I said, ‘Hang on, hang on – what’s this about?’ and he said: ‘You’ve written “Jude” in the shop window.’ I had no idea it meant ‘Jew’, but if you look at footage of Nazi Germany, ‘Juden Raus’ was written in whitewashed windows with a Star of David. I swear it never occurred to me.

Paul McCartney

Anthology”.

There are a few other articles I want to reference before I end things. Smithsonian Mag spend time looking inside Hey Jude ahead of its fiftieth anniversary in 2018. It is an evergreen song that has huge relevance and meaning today. A track that will be played through the ages:

“When “Hey Jude” was recorded, a 36-piece orchestra—ten violins, three cellos, three violas, two flutes, one contra bassoon, one bassoon, two clarinets, one contra bass clarinet, four trumpets, four trombones, two horns, percussion and two string basses—joined the Beatles, and all but one of the orchestra performers accepted double pay for singing and clapping during the taping. As the first recording session began, McCartney did not notice that drummer Ringo Starr had just walked out to take a bathroom break. Seconds later, he heard Starr walk behind him and return to his drums just in time for his first contribution to the performance. McCartney considered this fortuitous timing a good omen that led the other performers “to put a little more into it.” He recalled thinking: “This has got to be the take, what just happened was so magic!”

Shunning public appearances, the Beatles introduced the song to the world via film and video. The film version premiered in Britain on September 8 on David Frost’s show “Frost on Sunday,” and a month later the video version premiered October 6 in the U.S. on the “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.”

McCartney composed the piece during a drive in his Aston Martin from London to Weybridge, where he visited fellow Beatle John Lennon’s estranged wife Cynthia and five-year-old son Julian Lennon. McCartney has said that he conceptualized the song as a message to Julian, with “Hey Jules” offering advice to preserve Julian’s happiness as his parents faced a messy divorce over Lennon’s affair with future wife Yoko Ono. Later, he says, “I just thought a better name was Jude. A bit more country and western for me.” Julian’s dad thought McCartney’s lyrics were about his new relationship with Ono and that in a way, McCartney was giving him the go-ahead to leave their songwriting partnership and transfer his entire allegiance to his new love.

Other interpretations have surfaced. For instance, while the song’s beginning fits into McCartney’s description of his song for Jules, many other lines “seem directed more at a grown man on the verge of a powerful new love,” author Mark Hertsgaard writes. “That so many people seek to assign competing meanings to the lyrics, even with the Julian story so well-established, attests to the song's deep emotional impact as well as the lyrics' openness, even vagueness. It’s a masterclass example of songwriting in part because it continues to elude fixed meaning while grandly satisfying the listener.”

Quite a few features were published in 2018. Marking fifty years of Hey Jude was a big event. Now, almost fifty-five years since it came into the world, we get to talk about it again. The Guardian published a brilliant feature about Hey Jude. Articles like this and this put Hey Jude in the top ten Beatles tracks ever. Given their incredible body of work, that is a huge honour. It is one richly deserved!

“You could argue forever about which of the Beatles’ songs is the greatest. According to the Daily Telegraph, it’s something nostalgic: In My Life. According to the NME, it’s something psychedelic: Strawberry Fields Forever, which wasn’t even the best song on the single it appeared on, alongside Penny Lane. According to Rolling Stone and USA Today, it’s something epic: A Day in the Life, which often does well in polls, perhaps because it’s written by both Lennon and McCartney.

The debate is diverting but doomed. The Beatles’ range was so broad that it would be easier to name Matisse’s best painting or Meryl Streep’s best performance – which wouldn’t be easy at all. This isn’t just apples and oranges, it’s the whole fruit stall, so if we must use superlatives, we’d better narrow them down. The most covered Beatles song is Yesterday, the biggest seller is She Loves You and the biggest crowdpleaser is Hey Jude.

Hey Jude, which turns 50 on 30 August, is the Beatles song most likely to be bellowed by a choir of thousands. At Manchester City, fans sang it after the team won their first Premier League title in 2012. At Arsenal, Gooners used it to serenade Olivier Giroud, the team’s sleek French striker, who said of the track before he left for Chelsea : “It gives me goosebumps.” It also rings out at Newcastle and Cardiff, thus spanning the four points of the Premier League compass. Any decent song needs to be singable, but Hey Jude goes further: it’s yellable and flexible. Into the gap after “Nahh, na, na, nahh-na-na, nahhh”, you can slot almost any pair of syllables – Giroud, City, Geordie.

By then, Lennon and McCartney were writing separately, but still acting as each other’s sounding board. After working on Hey Jude some more, McCartney invited Lennon and Ono to his house in north-west London and played it to them. One line, “The movement you need is on your shoulder”, was there as a placeholder. “I’ll change that,” McCartney said. “It’s a bit crummy.” “You won’t, you know,” Lennon replied. “That’s the best line in it.”

This exchange, recounted by McCartney in 1994, had two consequences, beyond preserving the line. “You love it twice as much,” he said, “because it’s a little mutt that you were about to put down.” And it would forever remind him of Lennon: “That is when I think of John, when I hear myself singing that line. It’s an emotional point in the song.”

IN THIS PHOTO: Yoko Ono, John Lennon and Paul McCartney in July 1968/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images 

The weak link in the lyrics was elsewhere, right at the top: “Hey Jude, don’t make it bad / Take a sad song and make it better.” This doesn’t make sense, because a sad song is not a bad thing, as McCartney, of all people, knows. But in music, meaning doesn’t always mean very much. These were the first words that came to him in the car and they stayed. They have redeeming features – they are immediate, they are conversational and they get the rhyme scheme going (an artful AABBCCB). They are, however, just not as good as the next bit: “Remember, to let her into your heart / Then you can start to make it better.”

The heart is standard stuff in pop lyrics, but McCartney breathes life into it by making it one of only three images in Hey Jude, all parts of the body – “into your heart”, “under your skin”, “on your shoulder” – and all at the end of a line. They make the song more touching.

At this stage, Hey Jude was still a piano ballad. It could have become a classic in that form, but McCartney had other plans. One side of his personality, the cuddly uncle, had started the song; the other side, the ruthless artist, had now taken over. McCartney wanted Hey Jude to be long (it ended up just over seven minutes, three times the length of the Beatles’ early hits). He also wanted the ballad to swell into a riff and the fade-out to end all fade-outs.

The Beatles’ producer, George Martin, protested that seven minutes was too long and radio DJs would not play the record. Lennon said: “They will if it’s us.” It was arrogant but accurate.

Martin conceded the point (“I was shouted down by the boys, not for the first time in my life”) and came up with a plan of his own. “I realised that by putting an orchestra on, you could add lots of weight to the riff by [having] counter-chords on the bottom end and bringing in trombones and strings, until it became a really big tumultuous thing.”

After playing, the orchestra were offered double pay to add handclaps and sing the nahh-nas. This prompted another rebuke, this time from one of their number. “I’m not going to clap my hands,” they reportedly said, “and sing Paul McCartney’s bloody song!”

A week earlier, with Helter Skelter, McCartney had made a racket that would be hailed as both proto-metal and proto-punk. Now, with Hey Jude, he pioneered the stadium-rock singalong, even though the Beatles had quit touring two years earlier.

Hey Jude became an instant classic. It spent nine weeks at No 1 in the US, the Beatles’ personal best. By the end of the 60s, it had been recorded by Elvis Presley, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and Ella Fitzgerald. At McCartney’s gigs, it often has pride of place as the last track before the encore. When he played at the ICA in London in 2007, McCartney left the stage, the crowd kept up the nahh-nas, and, on his return, he and the band joined in, in a lovely little reversal.

Hey Jude may seldom top the polls, but it drew the highest praise from one judge. “That’s Paul’s best song,” Lennon once said”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles performing Hey Jude on The David Frost Show, 1968/PHOTO CREDIT: Everett Collection/Rex Features

I am going to end up with some critical reaction to the sublime and heart-stirring track. Wikipedia have collated some of the feedback this classic has accrued through the years. I have heard Hey Jude countless times, though it always elicits a reaction from me. It is remarkably touching song. One that had a distinct meaning in 1968, it has been adopted by so many different people and areas of society. This anthem that people belt out together. This was Paul McCartney writing at his absolute peak:

“Cash Box's reviewer said that the extended fadeout, having been a device pioneered by the Beatles on "All You Need Is Love", "becomes something of an art form" in "Hey Jude", comprising a "trance-like ceremonial that becomes almost timeless in its continuity". Time magazine described it as "a fadeout that engagingly spoofs the fadeout as a gimmick for ending pop records". The reviewer contrasted "Hey Jude" with "Revolution", saying that McCartney's song "urges activism of a different sort" by "liltingly exhort[ing] a friend to overcome his fears and commit himself in love". Catherine Manfredi of Rolling Stone also read the lyrics as a message from McCartney to Lennon to end his negative relationships with women: "to break the old pattern; to really go through with love". Manfredi commented on the duality of the song's eponymous protagonist as a representation of good, in Saint Jude, "the Patron of that which is called Impossible", and of evil, in Judas Iscariot.[144] Other commentators interpreted "Hey Jude" as being directed at Bob Dylan, then semi-retired in Woodstock.

Writing in 1971, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice called it "one of [McCartney's] truest and most forthright love songs" and said that McCartney's romantic side was ill-served by the inclusion of "'I Will', a piece of fluff" on The Beatles. In their 1975 book The Beatles: An Illustrated Record, critics Roy Carr and Tony Tyler wrote that "Hey Jude" "promised great things" for the ill-conceived Apple enterprise and described the song as "the last great Beatles single recorded specifically for the 45s market". They commented also that "the epic proportions of the piece" encouraged many imitators, yet these other artists "[failed] to capture the gentleness and sympathy of the Beatles' communal feel".

Walter Everett admires the melody as a "marvel of construction, contrasting wide leaps with stepwise motions, sustained tones with rapid movement, syllabic with melismatic word-setting, and tension ... with resolution". He cites Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks", Donovan's "Atlantis", the Moody Blues' "Never Comes the Day" and the Allman Brothers' "Revival" among the many songs with "mantralike repeated sections" that followed the release of "Hey Jude". In his entry for the song in his 1993 book Rock and Roll: The 100 Best Singles, Paul Williams describes it as a "song about breathing". He adds: "'Hey Jude' kicks ass like Van Gogh or Beethoven in their prime. It is, let's say, one of the wonders of this corner of creation ... It opens out like the sky at night or the idea of the existence of God."

Alan Pollack highlights the song as "such a good illustration of two compositional lessons – how to fill a large canvas with simple means, and how to use diverse elements such as harmony, bassline, and orchestration to articulate form and contrast." Pollack says that the long coda provides "an astonishingly transcendental effect", while AllMusic's Richie Unterberger similarly opines: "What could have very easily been boring is instead hypnotic because McCartney varies the vocal with some of the greatest nonsense scatting ever heard in rock, ranging from mantra-like chants to soulful lines to James Brown power screams." In his book Revolution in the Head, Ian MacDonald wrote that the "pseudo-soul shrieking in the fade-out may be a blemish" but he praised the song as "a pop/rock hybrid drawing on the best of both idioms". MacDonald concluded: "'Hey Jude' strikes a universal note, touching on an archetypal moment in male sexual psychology with a gentle wisdom one might properly call inspired." Lennon said the song was "one of [McCartney's] masterpieces".

On 26th August, it will be fifty-five years since Hey Jude was released as a single in the U.S. The same anniversary occurs four days later in the U.K. Given the fact the song is over seven minutes long, it does not get as much radio attention as it should. I hope exceptions are made later this month. At a time when The Beatles were going through quite a tough times and relationships and bonds within the group were not as strong as they were several years earlier, I think Hey Jude spoke beyond Julian Lennon. Maybe McCartney talking about himself and the band. His impassioned declaration that thing would get better. Hey Jude is one of these songs that lifts the mood. Those end “nah, nah, nahs!” are infectious and spine-tingling. Go and put the song on now and…

SEE what I mean.

FEATURE: One Day or Another: Looking Ahead to the Forty-Fifth Anniversary of Blondie’s Parallel Lines

FEATURE:

 

 

One Day or Another

Looking Ahead to the Forty-Fifth Anniversary of Blondie’s Parallel Lines

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EVEN if its forty-fifth anniversary…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Blondie in 1978: From right - Clem Burke, Chris Stein, Debbie Harry, Jimmy Destri, Frank Infante, Nigel Harrison

is not until 23rd September, I wanted to look to Blondie’s iconic and legendary Parallel Lines. Earlier in 1978, the band released their second studio album, Plastic Letters. That housed many gems – including Denis -, though Parallel Lines took them to new heights! It seems almost like a greatest hits collection! From Sunday Girl and Hanging on the Telephone (a cover of The Nerves’ song, but Blondie’s version is best!!) and Heart of Glass, through to One Way or Another to Picture This, this is an album that will be talked about decades from now. It was wonderfully produced by Mike Chapman. He really got the very best from the band! Led by the peerless Debbie Harry and supported by Jimmy Destri, Frank Infante, Chris Stein, Nigel Harrison and Clem Burke, Parallel Lines is surely one of the all-time great albums. Released in 1978, it arrived at a time when the landscape had very few bands you could compare with Blondie. I want to bring in a couple of features before I end with a couple of reviews for the all-conquering Parallel Lines. Offering more insight and compelling information that I could offer myself, I want to start with Guitar.com’s feature from 2021. They underline how a mix of older sounds like'50s girl groups with the recently-faded Disco and New Wave elevated the New York band to new heights:

“One way or another

Ever since their inception in 1974, Blondie had consciously cherry-picked from a forest of influences. The band first originated when 23-year old guitarist Chris Stein joined former waitress and Playboy bunny Debbie Harry’s female vocal troupe The Stilettos. Stein and Harry shared a love of similar flavours of punk and pop, and soon forged both a tight creative and romantic partnership. “I just love the way Chris thinks.” Harry told The Sun, “He is open to all kinds of music. I think it must be down to his punk spirit.”

Before long, the pair sought to create a new kind of musical vehicle. Appropriating a slur that the Monroe-like Harry had been frequently met with as she strolled around the decaying Bowery neighbourhood in Manhattan, the burgeoning band christened themselves as ‘Blondie’, and eventually settled on a five-piece line up. Joining Harry and Stein came Clem Burke on drums, Gary Valentine on bass and Jimmy Destri on keys. From the outset, Stein’s guitar approach prioritised attitude over technical flair, “Schooling and practice is not a bad thing, but at that time, there was a spontaneity missing on the radio.” He explained to Cryptic Rock.

With an alluring fusion of 50s and 60s girl-group, mod and the ramshackle punk sensibility of Stein’s guitar playing, the band quickly cultivated heady buzz on the cabalistic CBGB-oriented new wave scene. Blondie’s initial clutch of songs bore the same quirky DNA that would be central to their greatest work, from the irresistible lo-fi swagger of X-Offender, to the knowingly kitsch, Phil Spector-aping In The Flesh and their snarlingly cool take-down of high-minded critics, Rip Her To Shreds. Signing to the charmed Chrysalis Records, Blondie were clearly on the path to becoming something special indeed.

Despite their debut self-titled album sporting those aforementioned top-drawer cuts, this opening shot failed to make an impact in the US. But, across the pond in Britain, nods of approval from the likes of David Bowie and Iggy Pop (who would eventually seek the band out to support him on his The Idiot tour), as well as exposure on UK chart shows, enabled Blondie to build a solid core of Brit fans.

It was this odd disparity –  commercial and critical favour in the UK but a lack of widespread interest on home soil – that informed the band’s next move. Their follow-up LP, Plastic Letters was released in February of 1978, and though the record further demonstrated Blondie’s inventiveness, and cemented their place as one of the UK’s favourite punk-pop outfits, it did little to wake-up America’s record-buying public. Wasting no time, the band decided to plunge headlong into the recording of another album in that same year. This time, it would be a record that nobody could ignore.

PHOTO CREDIT: Pete Still/Redferns

Will anything happen?

A further, final shake up of personnel took place, with additional guitarist and occasional bassist Frank Infante joining the crew to replace the erstwhile Gary Valentine. Initially enlisted as a session player, Infante would prove a vital creative element as they approached this new record. A full-time bass replacement came in the shape of Nigel Harrison, an English musician who had moved to New York at a young age, bringing with him a love of The Yardbirds and The Who.

To helm the new chart-focused record, the band turned to the well-respected producer Mike Chapman, who had had a string of hits under his belt with glam pop acts such as The Sweet and Suzi Quatro. After being invited to watch the band by Chrysalis Records, Chapman was struck by their potential “I went to New York and met with Debbie and Chris at the Gramercy Park Hotel where they were living.” Chapman recalled with Ultimate Classic Rock, “We sat on the floor together and listened to a few rough demos. I loved the new song ideas and told Terry [from Chrysalis] to book some rehearsal time and I would start the recording process.”

The new song ideas spanned a gamut of flavours, from the immaculate sparkle of Picture This, the melodic, studied sweetness of Sunday Girl and One Way or Another’s mechanical, sludgy grind. There was more than enough for Chapman to sink his teeth into.

Both producer and band agreed to focus on making the record differently to the rawer approach of their previous records, gradually building the tracks up bar-by-bar. “Mike took [our musicianship] to a whole other level of meticulousness, where we were doing stuff over and over again to do it really precise and perfect.” Stein remembered in the documentary, Blondie’s New York.

Mucho mistrust

Entering the Record Plant with Chapman, the principle guitarists Chris Stein and newcomer Frank Infante were largely shepherded by Chapman, who didn’t shy away from admitting that the garage rocking six-piece were initially difficult to corral. “They were, musically, the worst band I had ever worked with.” he told Sound on Sound. ”The only great musician among them was Frankie Infante. He’s an amazing guitarist. The rest of them were all over the bloody place.” Despite these initial teething troubles, the relationship between producer and band softened as Mike got to know them more. “The fact was, Frankie made Chris look like a terrible guitar player. I loved Chris, and I worked very, very hard with him for years and years because I felt he deserved my time. He, to me, was a wonderful songwriter, and he was always so concerned about his playing ability.”

One of the key cuts, the pile driving One Way or Another, had started life as a very basic bass part written by Nigel. “It was just two chords going back and forth with a little riff in it” recalled Nigel in Blondie’s New York, “I was too shy to show it to anyone, it’s thanks to Jimmy (Destri) who said we should make a song out of it”. Worked up by Stein, Infante and Chapman (who usefully, was also a guitar player) the song quickly became one of the favoured songs in the sessions, its D-B chord-oriented foundational riff was laid down by Infante using his overdriven Les Paul Standard, while Stein added some additional harmonic lead flourishes on his Stratocaster, as well as the deranged mania of its middle-eight’s riff barrage in F♯m. The song was perfected by Harry’s threatening, stalker-inspired lyric. It’s a lyric which altered the listeners’ perspective on that bouncy, two-chord riff – transforming its relentless simplicity into the sound of ruthless obsession.

While Infante kept his Les Paul Standard to hand on most tracks, Stein largely stuck to a Strat-centric rig during the making of Parallel Lines, despite a few additions of 12-string Rickenbacker 425 to add a retro-Byrds-like shimmer. As he told Vintage Guitar “I had a lot of Fender amps and a ’56 maple-neck Strat I used all the time that was really great. I mostly used Strats because I was such a Hendrix freak; I referenced that all the time. I used Fender amps and occasional Marshalls.”

While further punkier-edged songs came in the shape of Infante’s demonic-sounding I Know But I Don’t Know alongside the swaggering strut of Harry’s Just Go Away, Blondie’s songwriting diversified with the likes of the gothic, electronic ambience of Stein’s Fade Away and Radiate, which guest-featured the unmistakable squall of their friend, Robert Fripp. Another example of Blondie’s wide-ranging scope was the hypnotic, emotional charge of Pretty Baby. Built around a straightforward G–D-Am–C verse chord sequence, Pretty Baby further expanded Blondie’s musical range, with an almost northern soul-like bassline from Harrison serving as its median throb, while the skating final pained guitar riffs cavort with Harry’s heart-breaking vocal melody. Here was yet another bona-fide classic in the making. But it was by no means the last.

PHOTO CREDIT: Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

Heart of glass

The ultimate example of Blondie’s chart-sighted ambitions, and the album’s signature cut, was the stunning Heart of Glass. Originating as a rather plodding band-demo that had absolutely zero dancefloor appeal, Chapman heard the raw elements of something that could – with more than a little tinkering – inflame the attention of the record-buying public.

Heart of Glass’s production was intended to nod towards the motorik beats of Kraftwerk, infused with Chic-esque funk guitars, vamping largely on a single E note, that would slot into a disco DJs playlist effortlessly. Chris Stein remembered, in an interview with The Village Voice that, “It took us maybe four or five days, and it was all done manually. It’s all completely pieced together. All those guitar parts took four hours just going ‘digga-digga, digga-digga’. Because every 16th note was in time with the [Roland CompuRhythm CR78] rhythm machine.” These slick guitar chops were further augmented by some Space Echo saturated atmospherics around the edges of the mix, and the lush release of the lead riff which danced between the chorus’s triumphant A to E chords. Finally, Nigel’s funktastic bass-line (complete with head-bobbing octave runs before the chorus) was core to this simultaneously innovative yet widely appealing sound.

Though the song was already shaping up into an attractive production, the final stamp of genius came with the application of Harry’s ethereal vocal. “There she is, lullabying to it” remembered Chapman in Blondie’s New York, “I thought, wow, that’s so cool. It’s great, it’s beautiful, it’s so dream-like.” The song would go on to not just be one of Blondie’s best, but one of the defining tracks of the entire decade”.

Actually think I will get to a couple of the glowing reviews now. I might write another feature about Parallel Lines closer to its forty-fifth anniversary on 23rd September. In 2013, marking its thirty-fifth anniversary, Classic Rock Review has the following to say about a masterpiece that has been inspiring musicians since it arrived in 1978. It is an album without flaw or fault:

“Blondie has become one of those groups that is often misunderstood on multiple levels. First, this was a band, not a female solo artist with a common nickname. Next, this was not a disco group but a bona fide new wave, experimental rock band with pop leanings which had started out at CBGBs right alongside the Ramones and the Talking Heads. Blondie just had far better pop success, which started with 1978’s Parallel Lines, produced by Mike Chapman. This third studio album, which masterfully blended bubblegum pop with elements of punk, went on to sell over twenty million copies worldwide and reached the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic.

The group’s iconic figure, composer and lead vocalist Deborah Harry, was already age 33 and a seasoned veteran of the New York rock scene when this album was produced. Her artistic and domestic partner in creating the group was guitarist Chris Stein, who brought with him inspiration from the new music scene of the Mercer Arts Center on New York’s Lower East Side. The duo first played together in the group The Stilettos in 1973 and formed many incarnations of a rock group before drummer Clem Burke and keyboard player Jimmy Destri came aboard and formed Blondie in 1975. The group released their self-titled debut album in December 1976 but scored their first commercial success in Australia in 1977, when a music television program mistakenly played their video “In the Flesh”.  That song, which has been described as “a forerunner to the power ballad”, went to number one down under. In February 1978, Blondie released their second album, Plastic Letters.

Producer Chapman intentionally steered the band away from their punk and new wave  leanings (although much of those elements seeped through) and towards making a pop album. He mixed Stein’s guitar right up beside Deborah Harry’s vocals and navigates from song to song and style to style smoothly. Chapman also imposed a tough rehearsal schedule and tightened up the rhythm and timing on the recordings.

The album begins with “Hanging on the Telephone”, a cover song written by Jack Lee for the new wave band the Nerves. Although this song sounds a bit dated just for the technology references (i.e. “telephone booth”), it does contain a pleasant harmonized guitar lead and is a near perfect setup for the next track. “One Way or Another” was co-written by bassist Nigel Harrison, who joined Blondie just prior to the recording of Parallel Lines. This rock and roll classic is a ballsy female creed of pure will and determination with an infectious cascading guitar lick. The song concludes with a tremendous outro which contains layered vocals and siren effects and it reached U.S. Top 40 in April, 1979.

“Picture This” is another gem on the first side, and the first foray into retro rock. The heavy guitar riffs are masterfully mixed throughout, giving the song a great vibe while maintaining an edge, accented by the profound lyrics;

“all I want is 20/20 vision a total portrait with no omissions…”

Stein’s “Fade Away and Radiate” Sounds like it is influenced by early Alice Cooper with its slow and haunting atmosphere. It kicks in nicely with well treated guitar and synth effects and dry but powerful vocals. “Pretty Baby” follows as a more upbeat rock song with a call and response chorus and great guitar riffs between verses. The group’s final 1978 addition, guitarist Frank Infante wrote “I Know But I Don’t Know” and shares lead vocals with Harry. This song has an intro organ has Latin influence but Burke’s driving drums make it come off more as punk rock, especially when coupled with Infante’s scorching guitar runs.

The album’s second side contains Parallel Lines two biggest hits. “Sunday Girl” almost sounds like a sixties cover, but is really just a masterful composition by Stein with a great vocal melody executed by Harry. The light plunking guitar and gentle cruising rhythms gives the song an air of innocence which is a nice break on this album and propelled it to the top of the U.K. charts.

From pure retro in “Sunday Girl”, the album takes a sharp turn to pure disco of “Heart of Glass”. The song evolved from a very different sounding demo by Stein and Harry, but the studio recording was fused together beat by beat by Chapman, who had lofty goals for this track from the start. It reached number one in both the U.S. and the U.K. (and beyond) and the group has long admitted the song was a flagrant attempt to exploit the then still raging disco scene. Deborah Harry’s vocal reaches a more airy high-pitched level than the more brassy rock numbers, which works perfectly with the band groove”.

To end and round it all off, I will go back a bit further and source a 2001 review from Rolling Stone. I could really have randomly picked two reviews, because I haven’t seen anyone give it anything less than a huge thumbs up! I chose two that were a few years apart, as it shows Parallel Lines never loses its power and importance:

“Blondie's "sellout" record sent punk purists into apoplectic fits: The darlings of New York irreverence had recorded eleven pop songs and a monster disco number. Worse, civilians inflamed by "Heart of Glass" were flocking to buy what masqueraded as a New Wave artifact -- black and white and saucy all over. Parallel Lines didn't drive a stake into New Wave's heart, but it ripped its mask off. Without the cartoonish postmodernist referencing that Blondie excelled at on their first two albums -- the giant ants, spy-film romance, tabloid-headline goofs and French fluff -- the ugly truth was advanced in the prettiest way: This music had never been anything but contagious, glossy melodics ("pop"), some of which one could dance to (argh, "disco").

IN THIS PHOTO: Blondie during the photoshoot for 1978’s Parallel Lines/PHOTO CREDIT: Edo Bertoglio

Parallel Lines made a hash of the genre distinctions that kept snobs warm. Guitar-god posturing is toyed with and discarded on "I Know but I Don't Know," East Village sass spat out like chicken bones on "Just Go Away." The melting, metallic "Sunday Girl" features Debbie Harry's voice at its thickest and most cynically sweet, proving she was always a one-girl girl group in Candie's. "11:59" has the cheesy organ break and fugitive scheme that later became the stuff of send-ups, but its trench-coat posturing is less caricatured than desperate.

Parallel Lines is infused with a new, and appropriate, romantic fatalism. Jack Lee's two songs -- the backstage lament "Will Anything Happen" and the immortal, breathless "Hanging on the Telephone" -- established Harry's persona firmly between vulnerable but skeptical lover and pop tigress. Nice young couple Harry and Chris Stein wrote (with Jimmy Destri) the tenderest New Wave love song put to vinyl, "Picture This," in which Harry smolders with longing by degrees, then crabbily hangs up the phone. In "Pretty Baby," she's already mourning, with infinite empathy, the fleeting blossom of someone else's youth. As for that maddening, damnable disco number, it's not propelled by dithery space keyboards or the inimitable circular rhythm, but by Clem Burke's swishing cymbal work, which hits all the heart-bursting peaks that Harry's ice-cream-cool vocals won't. (RS 842)”.

Actually, as I have come across another review, I want to end with this. Pitchfork take on the  Deluxe Edition from 2008. They spotlight a gem of an album that actually has so many great deep cuts. Many of these are rarely played. Parallel Lines is that rare blend of genius singles and interesting and nuanced deeper cuts:

“Blondie is a band," read the group's initial press releases. The intent of this tagline was clear, as was the need for it: "This is an accomplished bunch of musicians, a tight, compact group versed in everything from surf to punk to girl group music to erstwhile new wave," it seemed to say, "but, oh-- I'm sure you couldn't help but focus on blonde frontwoman Debbie Harry." In America, however, people didn't notice the group quite so quickly. Their first two records-- a switchblade of a self-titled debut and its relatively weak follow-up Plastic Letters-- birthed a pair of top 10 hits in the UK but had been, at best, minor successes in the U.S.; the debut didn't chart, while Plastic scraped the top 75. Despite savvy marketing-- the group filmed videos for each of its singles, that now-iconic duochromatic cover photo-- the group's third and easily best album, Parallel Lines, didn't take off until they group released "Heart of Glass", a single that abandoned their CBGB roots for a turn in the Studio 54 spotlight. Though its subtle charms included a bubbling rhythm, lush motorik synths, and Harry's remarkably controlled and assured vocal, "Heart of Glass" started as a goof, a take-off on the upscale nightlife favored outside of Blondie's LES home turf.

The swift move from the fringes to the top of the charts tagged Blondie as a singles group-- no shame, and they did have one of the best runs of singles in pop history-- but it's helped Parallel Lines weirdly qualify as an undiscovered gem, a sparkling record half-full of recognized classics that, nevertheless, is hiding in plain sight. Landing a few years before MTV and the second British Invasion codified and popularized the look and sound of 1980s new wave, Parallel Lines' ringing guitar pop has entered our collective consciousness through compilations (built around "Heart" plus later #1s "Call Me", "Rapture", and "The Tide Is High"), ads, film trailers, and TV shows rather than the album's ubiquity. Time has been kind, however, to the record's top tier-- along with "Heart of Glass", Parallel boasts "Sunday Girl" and the incredible opening four-track run of "Picture This", "Hanging on the Telephone", "One Way or Another", and "Fade Away and Radiate". The songs that fill out the record ("11:59", "Will Anything Happen?", "I'm Gonna Love You Too", "Just Go Away", "Pretty Baby") are weak only by comparison, and could have been singles for many of Blondie's contemporaries, making this one of the most accomplished pop albums of its time.

In a sense, that time has long passed: Blondie-- like contemporaries such as the Cars and the UK's earliest New Pop artists-- specialized in whipsmart chart music created by and for adults, a trick that has all but vanished from the pop landscape. Parallel Lines, however, is practically a blueprint for the stuff: "Picture This" and "One Way or Another" are exuberant new wave, far looser than the stiff, herky-jerky tracks that would go on to characterize that sound in the 80s; "Will Anything Happen?" and the band's cover of the Nerves' "Hanging on the Telephone" are headstrong rock; "11:59" does run-for-the-horizon drama, while "Sunday Girl" conveys a sense of elegance. The record's closest thing to a ballad, the noirish "Fade Away and Radiate", owes a heavy debt to the art-pop of Roxy Music.

Harry herself was a mannered and complex frontwoman, possessed of a range of vocal tricks and affectations. She was as at home roaming around in the open spaces of "Radiate" or "Heart of Glass" as she was pouting and winking through "Picture This" and "Sunday Girl" or working out front of the group's more hard-charging tracks. That versatility and charm extended to her sexuality as well-- she had the sort of gamine, sophisticated look of a French new wave actress but always seemed supremely grounded and approachable, almost tomboyish. (That approachability was wisely played up in the band's choice of key covers throughout its career-- "Hanging on the Telephone", "Denis", and "The Tide Is High" each position Harry as a romantic pursuer with a depth and range of emotions rather than simply as an unattainable fantasy.)”.

Go and get a vinyl copy of Parallel Lines. With its memorable and awesome cover (shot by Edo Bertoglio) to the phenomenal performances Blondie turn in, I hope there will be something released to coincide with its anniversary on 23rd September. Forty-five years of a classic, you can read more about it here as part of the 33 1/3 series. It will never lose its cool or genius. Starting with that dial tone on Hanging on the Telephone and rounding off with the brilliant Just Go Away, there is that bookmark of titles that suggests impatience and rejection. Throughout, the band seamlessly blend sounds and genres without losing their identity and edge. There is no doubt that the phenomenal Parallel Lines is an album…

FEW have equalled.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Kevin Rowland at Seventy: His Best Solo and Dexys/Dexys Midnight Runners Tracks

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

PHOTO CREDIT: black door agency

Kevin Rowland at Seventy: His Best Solo and Dexys/Dexys Midnight Runners Tracks

_________

A big music birthday….

that almost passed me by is Kevin Rowland’s upcoming seventieth. The Wolverhampton-born singer-songwriter is the lead of the terrific Dexys (formerly Dexys Midnight Runners). The band formed in Birmingham. Best known for hits such as Geno and Come on Eileen, they are responsible for more than a few classics! Rowland himself has released two solo albums - 1988’s The Wanderer and 1999’s My Beauty. Dexys released the phenomenal The Feminine Divine on 28th July. It ranks alongside the best work from Rowland. Written with bandmates Sean Read, Mike Timothy and Jim Paterson, it goes to show that there is still plenty of life in this hugely influential band. Kevin Rowland turns seventy on 17th August. I am going to celebrate that with a playlist featuring some his best solo work, together with a selection of Dexys/Dexys Midnight Runners tracks. Before then, I wanted to bring in a recent interview from The Big Takeover, where where Rowlands talked about The Feminine Divine and Dexys hitting the road:

“Not too many bands can claim to have a multi-generational hit and most would take that even if it meant being labeled as a “one-hit wonder.” You’d be hard pressed to find even the most casual music listener who hasn’t heard, and sung along with, Dexys Midnight Runners’ 1982 international chart-topper “Come On Eileen” from the Too Rye Ay album. When I tell founding member and lead singer Kevin Rowland that not only is the song one of my favorites, but also a favorite of my mom, my wife, and my kids, he rightfully asks, “Is that the only Dexys song you know?” Were it not for streaming services like Spotify and YouTube, I may have answered “Yes,” but, thankfully, all of Rowland’s recorded history – from Dexys Midnight Runners to the shortened Dexys to his solo material – is readily available and worth exploring if you only know the hit. While nothing will ever come close to matching the success of “Come On Eileen,” albums like Dexys Midnight Runners’ 1995’s Don’t Stand Me Down and Rowland’s 1999 My Beauty contain some treats.

The first collection of new Dexys songs since 2012’s One Day I’m Going to Soar has just been released. The Feminine Divine is a personal narrative for Rowland, one that tells the story of a man who grew up embossed in a masculinity culture that believed it was a man’s job to protect women only to discover, later in life, that women can protect themselves and don’t benefit from a machismo attitude. By the end of Rowland’s journey, he drops the tough guy persona and comes to realize that women are goddesses that he can submit to and learn from.

The Dexys name seems to be out there a lot surrounding the release of this album. Is that something that you’re noticing?

KEVIN: I think the label is doing a really good job, I have to say. They’re really pushing the album. They’re working it, they believe in it. I’m very happy about that. I think there seems to be a buzz.

With the new album, lyrically, you tackle a lot, but the first time I listened to it, the first couple songs really made me a smile. There’s a very bright sound to the music. And the second half of the album is just a little bit darker. It’s almost like the first half is daytime, the second half is nighttime.

KEVIN: I’ve never thought about that. That’s so good to hear because I’m a massive Beach Boys fan and I always loved how their songs sounded so sunny. I feel “Eileen” did sound quite sunny. And we’ve always sort of wanted to do that, really have songs that sound good in the summer. 

You’re a very fashionable gentleman. Did your music career help you get free clothes? Was that a perk when you were starting out?

KEVIN: Not really, but I do find it to be a perk more these days. I’m sort of known as somebody who wears clothes and is into clothes, and very fortunately, there’s a guy from LVC called Paul O’Neill. He’s a really nice guy, and he likes Dexys. When I went over there to California last time, he just met me and took me to LVC, which is Levi’s vintage company, all the really old reproductions, but they’re so well made, and he just went, “Would you like this? Would you like this?”

You’ve mentioned that you’re not interested in being part of any ’80s nostalgia touring package, that you’re going to headline and put on performances, not just concerts.

KEVIN: We’re going to do theatres and the show will be in two parts. First, it’s going to be The Feminine Divine performed live in sequence, the whole album. We’re going to perform it theatrically. We’re going to act the songs out. We’ve got a goddess called Claudia Chopek playing the female protagonist. She’s from New York, actually. She’s coming over in a couple of weeks. We start rehearsals and then there’s going to be an intermission and when people come back, we do the old stuff.

Do you get just as jazzed about the old stuff as you do the new stuff?

KEVIN: No, but I don’t hate it either, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do it. But I would never do a show with just the old stuff. Never.

I appreciate that you’re interested in making new music and going out and playing it rather than just playing the stuff from the ’80s.

KEVIN: It’s all about the new stuff. I mean, we’re happy to play the old stuff, otherwise we wouldn’t play it. But it’s really all about the new stuff. Sometimes fans want to just relive 1980 or 1981 or 1982, and that’s not what we’re about. They don’t get it. But I understand they probably had some great time around then. It was a free time in their lives or whatever, but our job is to keep moving forward. You can’t recreate the past anyway, so why try?

Even the old ones, the way we’ll be performing them is Dexys, as we are now, performing the old stuff. We’re not trying to recreate 1982. We might change tempo a little bit, or few bits and pieces, lyrics, but we realize that, at the same time, people like those songs and they want to hear them, so we don’t massively change them too much.

You mentioned a few people earlier, Sean and MIke. Do you consider them permanent members of Dexys or are they guys that just help you out in the studio?

KEVIN: They’re permanent. They’re in Dexys. They’re financially involved, they’re part of the team. They do other stuff as well but Dexys is their priority. They’re in the band photos. They are financially incentivized in that they’re on a cut of the profits and all that kind of stuff. They’re properly involved”.

With Dexys scheduled to play some U.S. dates later in the year, it is an exciting time for Kevin Rowland and his amazing friends. I wanted to highlight Dexys’ lead as he is seventy on 17th August. There are some cover versions in the playlist. As not every Dexys/Dexys Midnight Runners or Kevin Rowland solo albums are on Spotify, it is not as complete a playlist as I hoped for. Regardless, there are some important songs that are included. A nod to a remarkable artist, songwriter and human, below are a selection of songs that showcase his talent and magic touch. Someone who has brought so much joy to countless lives, I was keen to recognise and tip my cap to…

A true legend.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Nieve Ella

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Nieve Ella

_________

AN artists who is really…

shining and powering through 2023 with amazing songs and a singular sound, I am looking forwards to Nieve Ella releasing her E.P., Lifetime of Wanting, on 1st September. I am going to bring in some fairly recent interviews. I want to focus on those that focused on her previous E.P., Young & Naive. The West Midlander spoke with CLASH about a tremendous work - one that that won a whole wave of new fans:

“Since its global takeover a couple of years ago, TikTok has become the music industry buzzword, with talent blossoming and blooming from all corners of the platform. However, few truly nail the transition from ‘TikTok singer’ to mainstream starlet. But Nieve Ella is one of them.

After garnering a mammoth cult following on the app, the West-Midlands indie pop riser dropped her debut single ‘Girlfriend’ in mid-2022, a 90’s tinted guitar pop cut which grabbed the attention of many. Since then, Nieve has released a slew of tracks, delivering her own signature brand and raw talent of vulnerable and authentic song writing and infectious hooks. Now, these singles have culminated in her debut EP, ‘Young & Naïve’, a concise collection of the tracks she’s released over the past few months, plus brand-new cut ‘19 In A Week’.

After some brief trial-and-error on the cursed Zoom, Nieve and I were linked up to talk all things Nieve Ella.

‘Young & Naïve’ is just around the corner – how does it feel to have the last six months for you all in one little package?

It’s so surreal. Every time I talk about it, it kinda feels like a big joke. I’ve never done anything like this before. I don’t understand how I’ve got this opportunity, to say all this stuff, I’ve never been able to do that before.

So, you’re feeling good about it!

Yes. Very, very good. I’m excited.

When did you realise that your music went beyond TikTok?

I don’t even feel like I realise it now. I still feel I’m this TikTok person, posting videos. I remember sending demos of the tracks to my friends and them being like ‘Woah Nieve, you can actually make music? You don’t just do covers?’ And then it was like oh wait – I can actually do this. That’s probably what it was. All I wanted was my friends to like it. If they like it, that’s all that matters.

Do they like the EP then, now it’s finished?

Yeah, yeah, yeah! It’s weird, all of the demos I sent was the EP, but I didn’t know it was going to become ‘Young & Naïve’. It wasn’t for an EP; I wasn’t signed or anything like that at the time of the demos.

As someone who is a serial songwriter, are you already working on your next release?

Yeah mate. I’m not stopping. I’ll be releasing for the next ten years, every two months. Just you watch (laughs).

Did you grow up playing music?

No. I only started playing guitar like three years ago – yeah, it’ll be three years in March. I wrote my first song then as well, fully. When I was little I was always doing drama or singing High School Musical. I’ve signed up for Britain’s Got Talent twice in my life.

Fuck it, do it again. Promo for the EP.

Hmm. Maybe not (laughs)! I’ve always sang, but it’s one of them difficult things where I’m from a tiny village, a place called Albrighton.

Obviously, you did – or do – a lot of covers. If you could collaborate with any artist who would it be! Sorry, hard question.

Actually, it’s not.

Can I guess?

Yeah.

Phoebe?

Yeah. BUT, I have two. Phoebe Bridgers, obviously. She’s too cool for me, though. I would not be able to write a song with her, I just wouldn’t, I’d want her to write all of it. The dynamics wouldn’t work. Maybe in another life. The main geezer though, is Sam Fender. He’s literally the reason I do this. September 2021, I went to his show in Birmingham, without a ticket! I tried the door and they said there were none, but a guy came up to me wanting to sell his ticket for twenty pounds. I was like yes please! Got into the gig, and I was like I want his songs. The production of ‘Girlfriend’ and ‘Fall 4 U’ were inspired by Sam Fender; if I didn’t go to that gig, those songs would not exist.

So, you’re kicking off the year with your new EP, ‘Young & Naïve’. What next? What’s the rest of the year gonna hold?

Um, that’s a good question! I don’t actually know. I feel like most of it I manifest! I don’t wanna stop, I don’t know what that’s gonna be, whether it’s releasing music or playing live. I want to explore a new era of music, getting the chance to release you might as well just do what the bloody hell you want (laughs). There’s a lot more I wanna do with recording and making songs, I wanna properly get into a room with my band, write songs together, record stuff live. I just wanna find this whole new sound. There’s so much more I want to let out, I just haven’t figured it out yet”.

If you have not heard or discovered her yet then go and follow Nieve Ella. She is an artist with a very long future that we are going to hear a lot more from. I am excited to see what comes after the E.P. release. I know she will be in demand around the world – and I hope she gets to play in a lot of different countries. NME spoke with the then-twenty-year-old abut navigating music and grief simultaneously. Nieve Ella chatted about her amazing Young & Naïve E.P. too:

“I never knew how to write songs before; it would just be me singing melodies,” Ella says, sitting cross-legged on a sunken sofa. But as soon as she played a guitar that her late father had left behind at home in Wolverhampton, she “just figured it out”. Ella studied tabs online, writing her first song ‘Four Years Gone’ in less than a week. “Playing guitar was a saviour for me,” she adds.

Fast forward three years and Ella has streams in the hundreds of thousands, and recently supported Inhaler on their UK tour as well as Dylan on her European stint. After every date of the latter, Ella – whose backing band comprises her “best friends” Finn Marlow (guitar), Matt Garnett (drums) and Fran Larkin (bass) – had hour-long queues of fans waiting to greet her at the merch stand. “Some girls were crying and saying, ‘You’ve really inspired me,” she says. “I want people to feel the way I feel when I listen to music; connected and not feeling alone.”

Ella’s songwriting process is as direct as it can be. Honed from her bedroom in lockdown, she found that speaking rather than singing lyrics over her guitar helped keep her style “conversational”. That’s reflected in the snippets of recorded phone calls with her mother on her ‘Young & Naive’. Elsewhere, on EP standout ‘Glasshouses’ she addresses her father, who passed away when she was 11, in the present tense (“I know you’re still out there somewhere”). Her father never lived with Ella and her two brothers at home with their mother; when she was a child, he moved to Spain and they had little contact. Songwriting, therefore, is a form of therapy for Ella.

PHOTO CREDIT: Frank Fieber

Ella says that she used to be “very shy”, and when NME suggests that her teenage years were stunted by grief, she nods. “I think so too. I’ve definitely realised that before it was like, ‘Oh, I’ve just got to carry on with life.’ But actually it’s a big thing.” She continues: “Music literally did save me. I can’t imagine doing anything else. It’s just the best feeling.”

Her songwriting heroes Sam Fender and Phoebe Bridgers have done much to inspire her raw writing style. They in turn have helped pave the way or boosted the profiles of dozens of other exciting British acts, such as last year’s BRITs Rising Star winner Holly Humberstone. The Grantham artist’s heartbreak anthem, ‘Scarlett’, for example – written about her best friend’s doomed relationship – mirrors Ella’s flair for imagery of splintered romances. “My friends say you don’t care / I can tell by the way you stare when I’m talking to you,” Ella sings on ‘Fall 4 U’. Performing the track live has allowed her to unlock the confidence that has always been there, hiding behind her timidity.

“I feel like I’ve connected to my family more because they’ve heard me now,” Ella says. “Instead of me just being a child at a party, sitting in the corner not talking, they all say to me, ‘Nieve, you’ve become so confident.’ I’m like, ‘This is who I am; I am confident.’ I just didn’t want to show it before”.

In fact, I think I will keep my interviewing sourcing around the previous E.P. Of course, she released Your Room last month. Big House came out in April. The terrific His Sofa came out in May. These three singles are among the best I have heard all year. Prior to getting to one more older interview. CLASH highlighted a brilliant and hugely memorable song in their feature from May:

“West Midlands artist Nieve Ella returns with introspective new single ‘His Sofa’.

The songwriter is moving towards her ambitions, with each new song taking her closer to her goals. Out now, ‘His Sofa’ finds Nieve looks inwards at a key moment in her life, allowing fans into a vulnerable space in her life.

As ever, Nieve’s grasp of word play is exceptional, but it’s her use of melody – so pretty, and so affecting – that drives the song’s message home.

“It’s a love song filled with insecurities,” explains Nieve Ella. “It was written at a time when I felt so vulnerable, being new to a relationship I had never experienced before. It’s an overreaction and none of it is true but I wanted a song I could scream in the car, on stage, in my room.”

Constructed alongside close collaborator Joe Horridge (Wasia Project, Renao, grentperez), it’s a beautiful piece of autobiographical pop, one that moves Nieve to the next level”.

Let’s round off with another interview. I am sure there will be more in the coming weeks around the new E.P., Lifetime of Wanting. Go and check out her official website and make sure you stream it on 1st September. Nieve Ella plays Reading on 26th August. She plays Leeds the day after. Part of such a massive festival, this will be great exposure for this wonderful artist. She then heads to All Points East in London on 28th August. Having played Boardmasters Festival on 11th August, she has a 23rd August gig for Rock En en Seine in Paris. It is a busy and eventful month for one of our very best young musicians. It is great reading interviews from earlier in the year when Nieve Ella is asked what’s on the horizon. Now that a few months have passed, we can see that she has either fulfilled some of those gigs - or they are pretty close now. It is really exciting. I will end with an interview from NOTION. She discussed Dylan (another incredible young British artist), quitting college and playing festivals:

“I read that you quit college to pursue your music career. Do you remember a ‘light switch’ moment for you, when you realised this was the path you were destined to take?  Or has it been more of a slow burn?

I don’t think I ever had a light switch moment to be honest, I always knew deep down that this was where I would be, no matter what capacity it was going to happen in. Joining a music course at college was something I needed for my confidence. I think when I say “I dropped out” it can sound like a negative thing, but it definitely isn’t. I was just learning more on the outside world than in class.

Signing to your first ever record deal at 18, how do you feel about documenting such a pivotal and time in your life? What do you think a younger Nieve would think of your progress?

Signing was something I never ever expected, I didn’t really know what it meant at the time to be honest. I think younger Nieve would be as confused as I still am now, I don’t really understand how it’s all happening, but I just know that it’s the positive feeling I’ve always strived and knew I’d feel one day.

I know that you had been waiting a while to release this project. Were there any challenges along the way compiling it?

I think the only challenge I dealt with and am still dealing with now is my tendency to panic that people won’t like what I’m doing or saying. At the time, no one had heard anything like it from me. Before releasing, it was just me on my bedroom floor; me and my acoustic guitar covering my favourite songs.

You started songwriting at a young age, and first picked up the guitar in 2020. So far you’ve crafted a very unique and transparent style of storytelling, how would you describe your musical style?

I just say how I feel in that exact moment, which is mostly on my bedroom floor or in my bed. I actually seem to write my favourite songs after watching a live video of one of my favourite bands/artists on YouTube which is mainly either Sam Fender or Flyte. Then I just seem to shape whatever I want to say with the feeling on my guitar.

PHOTO CREDIT: Frank Fieber

Last year you closed off 2022 with your gripping release “Glasshouses”. Was there any significance in seeing off 2022 with that track in particular?

“Glasshouses” is definitely my most personal song on the EP. The end of the year is always a pretty weird time for me as I lost my dad around that time when I was 10, so having the song come out when it did felt right.

This month you’re going on tour with Dylan, that’s exciting, what tracks off your new EP are you buzzing to play? Do you think you will have space to play any unreleased music in your set?

I’m so excited mostly to play “Blu Shirt Boy” as I wrote it about Harry Styles, and I know a lot of Dylan’s fans are Harries. I’m definitely going to try and squeeze an unreleased song on the set and see what people think!

In the last few weeks, you’ve announced some really exciting live projects such as a slot at All Points East festival, and TRNSMT festival. How does it feel to have these on the horizon?

It feels so amazing as not only do I get to play but, I’ve only been to 2 festivals in my life so I feel like this summer will be the summer I’ve always wished I had from when I was 16. It’s just a dream”.

I will end it there. The magnificent Nieve Ella is going from strength to strength. With huge gigs coming and another tremendous E.P. around the corner, here is someone that everyone needs to know about. What does the next year or two hold? Maybe a debut album. Perhaps some gigs in the U.S. and further afar. There is no telling when it comes to this wonderful talent. If Nieve Ella is not on your radar just yet, then go and follow her…

RIGHT now.

___________

Follow Nieve Ella

 Official:

https://www.nieveella.com/

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@nieveella

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/nieveella/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/nieveella

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/nieveella/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2FioVxNVJKtGfIvZU19CQ

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/14zhvja4OxwrmivOB3LHOn

FEATURE: Queen Greta: Box Office Records, Undue Criticism, and What Comes After Barbie…

FEATURE:

 

 

Queen Greta

PHOTO CREDIT: Clement Pascal for The New York Times

Box Office Records, Undue Criticism, and What Comes After Barbie…

_________

I did declare…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Margot Robbie/PHOTO CREDIT: Ethan James Green for Vogue, May 2023

that I had finished writing about Barbie and  Greta Gerwig. As the film has been out nearly a month and the initial explosion of attention, love and general examination has died down, it gives me a chance to finally (I promise this time) write about the film. Even though I run a  music blog, I do set aside a few articles a year for film, T.V. or theatre – that nice little space that is a bit quiet but very wonderful. I might drop a song or two from the Barbie soundtrack here to keep it musical, but there are a few things I want to write about: the continued and undue negativity or scrutiny both the film and Greta Gerwig received despite the hugely positive reviews and amount of wonder Barbie has generated; the box office record broken and why Gerwig is a groundbreaking director; finishing with a little about what comes next. Maybe in previous features I have not given enough credit to the cast and Margot Robbie. Everyone involved in the film is magnificent and perfectly cast. Special kudos to Margot Robbie and her production genius. Whether it was confidence on her part or she instinctively new that a Barbie film would be successful and pull in a billion dollars at the box office, as Variety reported last month, her prescience, intuition, raw talent and drive was right:

“As a producer of “Barbie,” it was up to Margot Robbie to convince a studio that her vision for the film would lead to financial success. No wonder the Oscar nominee flat out said during pitch meetings that she believed a “Barbie” movie could bring in $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Such success depended on landing writer-director Greta Gerwig, Robbie stressed to execs.

“I think my pitch in the green-light meeting was the studios have prospered so much when they’re brave enough to pair a big idea with a visionary director,” Robbie said in an interview with Collider. “And then I gave a series of examples like, ‘dinosaurs and [Steven] Spielberg’ – pretty much naming anything that’s been incredible and made a ton of money for the studios over the years. And I was like, ‘And now you’ve got Barbie and Greta Gerwig.’ And I think I told them that it’d make a billion dollars, which maybe I was overselling, but we had a movie to make, okay?”

Whether “Barbie” makes $1 billion for Warner Bros. remains to be seen, but it’s already shaping up to be a blockbuster for the studio. The film is tracking for an opening weekend in the $95 million to $110 million range, with some exhibitors believing the comedy could make as much as $140 million in its debut. Warner Bros. is launching “Barbie” in 4,200 North American theaters over the weekend.

Gerwig signed on to direct “Barbie” and to co-write it with Noah Baumbach. The hire paid off for the film’s cast, especially Ryan Gosling.

“Greta, she’s just such a brilliant person and such an inclusive person,” Gosling told Collider. “She’s brilliant but incapable of being pretentious. I think what I admire so much about her work is that she doesn’t allow herself to create a divide between drama and comedy, and she encourages everyone around her to do the same. So you end up mining places that are in the in-between and it feels very specific to her, but also something that you can relate to because it’s more like life”.

It is not completely random or side-stepping talking about film and Barbie specifically. One of my major drives as a journalist is to celebrate and spotlight women in music. I also discuss gender equality and issues affecting women in music. There is a connection in a sense between women in film and music. When something amazing is created like Barbie, Greta Gerwig received a lot of undue criticism, questioning and general flak. That happens in music. Women often put down and doubted when they should be celebrated. Never having to face the same sort of inspection and criticism as men. Think about male directors and even big films like Christopher Nolan. Oppenheimer – released the same day (21st July) as Barbie – is not criticised for writing very small and insignificant roles for women, putting an unnecessary sex scene in his film, and generally not including enough diversity in his films. Greta Gerwig created none of these problems for Barbie. Despite criticism that the Kens of the film (Ryan Gosling and the supporting Kens) are portrayed as subservient, appendages, and dumb, that is not true. All these articles that the film is man-hating or slags men off. That it is merely a commercial vehicle that wants to hock products and make money through advertising. That Barbie is propaganda, not feminist at all, and it sends out very bad messages – all wrong and inexplicably sexist and misogynist. The directors of films with Transformers and Lego didn’t get slagged and piled on because their films were glorified adverts. More concerned with commercialism and lining the pockets of those companies. As director and co-writer (with Noah Baumbach), Greta Gerwig received far too much unwarranted cynicism and attack. If the Barbie film has a few minor quibbles – The New Yorker examined the film’s racial pose; some felt Barbie’s (Margot Robbie) shock at discovering cellulite was body-shaming, insensitive or joked away rather than taken seriously (the film is body-positive and features Barbies of all shapes, sizes, genders and races); maybe it was not as all-including and deep as it could have been (as it is not a Christopher Nolan film, Greta Gerwig could only fit so much in!) -, then that is to be expected with any film. In fact, Oscar-winning and all-time best films have more drawbacks and things to query and quibble than Barbie.

There have been some considered and balanced articles about Barbie, but there have been far too many that are laden with aggression and insult. I shall wrap up with my feelings and thoughts regarding Barbie and the immediate aftermath – in addition to what might come next for Greta Gerwig. There have been quite a few bizarre, off-the-mark and misogynistic articles written about Barbie and Greta Gerwig. A lot of it does come down to misogyny – again, why aren’t male directors having to answer for themselves and getting piled on for perceived shortcomings?! They are celebrated with very little scrutiny. The Guardian has been especially vocal in their disapproval. Perhaps jealous that a film has brought people together and it is magnificent – wand it only has a few minor flaws. It is great that a film inspires conversation and further discussion! There are a lot of angles one can come from, though the abiding impression is that it is a massively important feminist film that is not only important and inspiring to women: it is a film that wants to bring men into the conversation rather than excluding or belittling them. From early articles like this, to the bizarre downright stupid. It does seem that certain publications and sites have an agenda and distinctly right-wing stance on Barbie and Greta Gerwig. Taking every chance to attack and harass. Like a jealous ex who has this creepy and obsessive need to stalk and insult to fabricate flaws and come off in a really unflattering and bad way! Even now that Barbie has set box office records, where these sites and journalists should be celebrating and saluting Greta Gerwig, instead they are putting her down and finding corruption and moral disgrace in a fabulous film that will be in the history books! I am going to end with some very positive things. To pick on The Guardian – as they have no problem in dishing it out to Gerwig and her amazing film -, here are sections of two rather misjudged and psychotic takes.

When something is successful, hugely funny, celebratory and gets people talking, there will always be a faction that feels required to provide negatives and ‘balance’ things out. David Cox, apparently an expert on feminism and women’s issues/rights, felt obliged to weigh in and explain (one imagines him typing especially furiously as he tries to unpick Barbie’s crafty attempt at tricking everyone that this is an empowering film and feminist rather than a money-making and patriarch-bowing submission) why Barbie’s feminism is muddled:

“At the film’s climax, America Ferrera’s Gloria, the LA mom whose angst has catapulted Barbie into the real world, presents her with a stirring litany of womanly woes. Its gist is that as long as the dudes are in charge, dames are doomed whatever they do. Gosh, it’s hard to be a woman. Reportedly, Ferrera’s rendition left everyone on the set in tears, even the men. Yet this speech sits uncomfortably alongside Barbie’s official slogan: “You can be anything.” Is aspiration a female fundamental, or an unfair imposition?

Unlike Ken, Barbie is permitted no flaws which might round out her character but undermine her gynocratic sanctity

Whatever. Gloria’s outpouring is all it takes to galvanise the gals into vanquishing the guys. Awkward contradictions in the gameplan are casually sidestepped. The film virtually acknowledges this with a knowing but fatal joke. Helen Mirren’s voiceover dares to point out the mismatch between celebrating the female right to eschew perfection and choosing Robbie as a leading lady. Quite.

IN THIS PHOTO: Ryan Gosling as Ken in Barbie/PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

Women are counselled to discard illusions and confront real life, but what this might mean in practice remains unclear. Barbie consults a mystic oracle in the shape of the ghost of Ruth Handler, the Barbie doll’s inventor, but all she learns is that she’s allowed to be real. This turns out to mean she can visit a gynaecologist, but that’s pretty much it.

Where a real path forward is actually discernible, it turns out to be disheartening. Male domination is overcome not by open engagement but by feminine wiles, an approach that seems neither progressive nor likely to be especially productive. Rather, it fosters the fear that things won’t be changing any time soon. Men are expected to abandon masculinity once women show them its folly, yet the film has inadvertently advertised its apparently irreversible appeal.

So, what are those bevies of pink-bedecked filmgoing females supposed to make of all this? They will see seductive but dubious stereotypes embellished rather than subverted. Muddled messaging may dispel rather than stimulate any impulse to crusade. What might therefore leave the most residual impact is Sarah Greenwood’s luscious production design. A clear call to action does in the end emerge: go forth and buy the products of the film’s sponsor, Mattel, and its galaxy of commercial partners.

If Barbie constitutes a triumph, it’s a triumph not of feminism but of the patriarchy’s so far most unassailable scion – capitalism. Women have been spending millions to watch a giant advertisement more likely to bewilder than inspire them. And now they’re spending millions more on the merch. Mattel’s (male) chairman and CEO, Ynon Kreiz, has plenty of cause to be pleased. But feminists? Perhaps not so much”.

Amelia Tait who, as David Quantick pointed out on Twitter recently, has written about shopping, commercialism and the positives of retail chains booming, seemed aghast that a $100 million film that has made more than $1 billion at the box office’s biggest issue is its product placement. Rather than commend the success of the film and how its relation to Barbie is not to sell products and act as a shill for Mattel, instead it reframes Barbie and is a springboard to explore feminism, the patriarchy; fantasised and fetishised worlds and the real world – and many other topics and debates beside (none of them being advertising and flogging other brands). Still, Tait was unaware that people in films wear watches and drive cars. They are not wearing watch-brand watches or driving car-brand cars. People don’t drink generic Coca-Cola or have nameless smartphones. Again, male directors have characters with well-known brands on their body, in their hair, in their ears or beneath their feet. In spite of the fact Greta Gerwig did not talk about brands like Tag Heuer in great detail (or any I think), let her camera linger over their logos and images, or indeed advertise them in any form – and she also did not get money from them to include their brands -, she is being portrayed as the creator of a feature-length commercial:

“Did you know that Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is a 114-minute advert for the toy company Mattel? Of course you did. You don’t have to be Detective Barbie to figure that one out. Yet you may have missed that the film is not just an advert: it’s an advert containing multiple other adverts. It’s a Matryoshka of adverts, each one nestled within the next, all contained within a giant, plastic doll.

Watching the film, I rolled my eyes at the starring role played by a spotless Chevrolet 4x4, and laughed aloud at the way the camera focused on Barbie’s (empowering!) heart-shaped Chanel bag. Ryan Gosling, as Ken, wears three TAG Heuer watches at once at one point, and I instantly knew Mattel would sell the “I am Kenough” hoodie he sported at the end (although my cynicism didn’t stretch to imagining its £58 price tag).

IN THIS PHOTO: Margot Robbie as Barbie in Barbie/PHOTO CREDIT: FlixPix/Alamy

Product placement in film is by no means new (some date it back to the presence of Red Crown gasoline in the 1920 silent comedy The Garage), but it seems to have picked up in pace – and shamelessness – in recent years. In 2015, the BBC asked whether it had gone too far in the James Bond franchise. But at least that was based on a series of books. Now, you can put adverts for watches, cars and handbags inside an advert for dolls. And it doesn’t stop there.

In early August, reviewers noted the “bizarre” and “brazen” presence of brands in Disney’s comedy horror film Haunted Mansion, which – like Pirates of the Caribbean before it – is based on one of the company’s rides. Haunted Mansion includes shout-outs to Amazon, Yankee Candle, CVS, Baskin-Robbins and Burger King – never mind that, like Barbie, the film was already an ad. (Disney did not respond to an email asking it to confirm or deny product placements in the movie.)

The trouble with all of this is that it appears to work. Auto Trader reported a 120% increase in interest for Chevy Corvettes after the Barbie trailer dropped, while TAG Heuer’s CEO has claimed that customers are nicknaming one of its models the “Barbie watch”. As of June 2022, product placement is now a $23bn (£18bn) industry globally – a 14% growth in just two years. In an era of skippable ads, companies are clamouring to be featured inside movies and shows.

Yet if brands don’t boast about it, it can often be tricky to find out whether they did indeed pay (or provide free products in exchange) for promotion in a film. Other kinds of collaborations are even murkier. It didn’t occur to me, for example, to question a nod to the language-learning app Duolingo in the Barbie film. The company’s press office told me the gag wasn’t paid for, but Duolingo did collaborate with Mattel and Warner Bros, creating an ad that runs before the film in cinemas. Duo, the brand’s owl mascot, was invited to the LA film premiere.

Meanwhile, I was convinced that the suspiciously sharp logo on Barbie’s Birkenstocks proved that the company had paid for placement in the film, but Birkenstock told me it did not collaborate with Mattel, Warner Bros or any of Barbie’s actors. According to Barbie costume designer Jacqueline Durran, Birkenstocks were in the script “from the beginning” thanks to the writer-director Greta Gerwig. The sandal company has benefited regardless, as Google searches for “women’s Birkenstocks” have soared 518% in the UK since the film’s release; the company is now considering going public with an alleged $8bn (£6.3bn) valuation”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: FlixPix/Alamy

Let’s end with what everyone should be doing: celebrations of a film and director who have created a singular cinematic moment. Opened up debates, inspiring women and girls around the world and, from first-hand and personal experience, engaged many men in discussions around women’s rights, feminism and the perceived superiority and importance of the patriarchy. The fact so many men of all sexualities adorned themselves in pink and participated in the call-and-response of “Hi Ken!” without feeling embarrassed, emasculated or submissive shows that any accusations of Barbie attacking men and this being an excuse to highlight and shame the patriarchy rather than being celebratory, progressive, and celebrating women (and all genders) are rank, bitter, unwarranted and oddly bullying and overly-misogynistic – not that there is a right or acceptable amount; it is just that there has been extreme piling-on and shaming from many. Harriet Fletcher, a lecturer in Media and Communication at Anglia Ruskin University (my alma mata!), writing for The Conversation counters those who say Barbie is plastic or anti-feminist - but highlighting how, like Greta Gerwig’s previous films, Barbie is a film where women are transgressive and rebel against their restrictive circumstances:

“But Barbie fits perfectly into director Greta Gerwig’s repertoire of women-focused stories, which includes two Oscar-nominated coming of age films, Ladybird (2017) and Little Women (2019). Gerwig is a feminist filmmaker whose characters are curious, transgressive and rebel against their restrictive circumstances. Barbie is no exception.

The film follows Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie), whose perfect life in Barbieland is gradually falling apart because the humans playing with her in the real world are sad. Her arched Barbie feet become flat, she gets cellulite on her thighs and becomes troubled by thoughts of death.

With the help of Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) – comically styled as if a child “played with her too hard” – Stereotypical Barbie is tasked with entering the real world to find her human family and solve their problems.

The film opens with a parody of a famous scene from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). The world is thrown into disarray when a giant Barbie doll lands in the desert like a UFO. Through Helen Mirren’s terrific narration, we are told that the inhabitants of this barren wasteland are a hoard of little girls who only have baby dolls to play with. The girls are liberated by the arrival of their exciting new friend and, tired of playing at being mothers, they smash up their bland baby dolls for good.

This opening positions Barbieland as a feminist utopia. In Barbieland, women can do anything: become president, win literary awards and throw fabulous parties.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros. Pictures

Barbie in the real world

Gerwig’s take on Barbie is timely. My research explores the recent feminist reclamation of the “bimbo” figure. On TikTok, the #Bimbo trend sees feminine-presenting content creators reclaiming the once derogatory “bimbo” label and aesthetic. Instead of abandoning femininity to succeed in a patriarchal society, bimbo feminism embraces femininity while supporting women’s advancement.

In the real world, Barbie is shocked to find that things are a little different than in Barbieland. She is harassed while roller skating and catcalled by male construction workers. A 2021 survey found that four-fifths of young women in the UK have been sexually harassed in public spaces. While Barbie says she feels “ill at ease” in these situations, Ken (Ryan Gosling) feels “admired”.

When Barbie finds her human family, she is met with hostility from teenage daughter Sasha, who claims that Barbie is nothing more than a “professional bimbo” whose perfect body and privileged lifestyle have been making women feel bad about themselves for decades.

Like real women, Barbie is faced with objectification and criticism. The film knows its audience and makes smart and accurate commentaries about women’s experiences.

Ken’s rights

In Barbieland, Barbie’s beach-dwelling boyfriend is “just Ken”. In the real world, he discovers a society where men reign supreme. It is not long before Ken’s endearing innocence is tainted by a concept that is novel where he comes from: patriarchy.

Ken becomes intoxicated by male dominance and the film takes every opportunity to lampoon it. Ryan Gosling excels in these comedy moments. At one point, Ken barges into a hospital and demands to perform surgery despite having no qualifications – other than being a man of course.

Back in Barbieland, Ken enforces his own vision of patriarchy. Every night is “boys night”. Every Barbie exists to be ogled, serve beers and nurture men’s fragile egos. Under Ken’s rule, the former female president of Barbieland serves drinks to macho guys on the beach. The all-female Supreme Court are demoted to a cheerleading squad.

In her 2020 book Men Who Hate Women, founder of the Everyday Sexism project Laura Bates examines what she terms the “manosphere”. In other words, the many faces of radical misogyny in modern society, from men’s rights activists to incels.

In its portrayal of the Kens, Gerwig’s film confronts the manosphere head on. Much like the men who are indoctrinated into these radical groups, the Kens are led to believe that their rights are being eclipsed by women’s and find themselves conforming to toxic male stereotypes to regain a sense of control.

Gerwig’s Barbie does a stellar job of exposing how damaging patriarchal ideology is to society. While the film obviously appeals to women, it is men who really need to watch it. Barbie makes a point that Leicester Square-megaphone-man really needs to hear: it’s not a Barbie doll that threatens women’s rights, opportunities and safety – it’s the patriarchy.

Barbie is one of the most surprising and daring films of the year. What could have been a frivolous flop succeeds in being a substantial, important and poignant piece of filmmaking – as well as tremendous fun to watch”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Greta Gerwig and Ryan Gosling on the set of Barbie/PHOTO CREDIT: Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros

I think anyone who has written articles, tweets or whatever concluding Barbie is anti-men, bullying, commercial, selling-out or whatever needs to educate themselves. One of the aims of the film I think is for people to discuss and explore women’s rights and feminism more widely and lovingly. To actually show the fallacy that the patriarchy is the status quo and is a good thing. That this age-old imbalance and repression of women is anything other than misogyny and outdated. It does that in a way designed to incentive debate. It is not going for the throat or shaming men without nuance or reason. In fact, it is one of the most joyous and unifying films we have ever seen. The same sites and publications that accused Greta Gerwig of being a corporate sell-out also attack her muddled feminism – so they can’t agree on their take or real reason why Barbie is a ‘failure’. Let’s finish with two things: the remarkable news about Barbie’s box office-busting accolade and Greta Gerwig being carved into the history books; I will also wrap up and conclude (I will!) as to why I have limitless respect for queen Greta Gerwig. From extreme attacks on Barbie from the likes of professional bedwetters and perpetually sexually repressed head-banging nutjobs like Ben Shapiro, to the flatulent and pathetically misogynistic and sexist pieces that have zero substance, validity, value or point to make – other than the fact that jealous people need to attack success rather than embrace it -, there has been a positive outcome. Barbie, as Margot Robbie (perhaps with hubris and nerves) predicted, has hit a billion dollars at the box office!

There is no doubt books will be written about the Barbie film: its inception, promotion, impact and legacy. It is incredible that the film hit a billion dollars at the box office and, in the process, saw Greta Gerwig make history! The Hollywood Reporter explains why Barbie has set this new record:

"Filmmaker Greta Gerwig and Warner Bros.’ Barbie has enjoyed another history-making week.

Gerwig now ranks as the highest-grossing female director of all time at the domestic box office after skating past Frozen II, which was helmed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck.

From Walt Disney Animation Studios, 2019’s Frozen II grossed $477.4 million in North America, not adjusted for inflation. Barbie finished Tuesday with a domestic tally of $478.1 million before climbing to $492.6 million through Thursday. On Friday, it becomes the 20th title in history to clear $500 million domestically.

That’s not all — Gerwig is also celebrating becoming the highest-grossing female director of a live-action movie at the worldwide box office as Barbie passes up Marvel Studios’ 2019 superhero pic Captain Marvel.

Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Captain Marvel grossed $1.13 billion worldwide. Barbie finished Thursday with a worldwide tally of $1.113 billion and is strutting past Captain Marvel on Friday.

Barbie has been shattering the glass ceiling since opening to a staggering $162 million at the North American box office over the July 21-23 weekend, the top domestic opening ever for a female director (solo or otherwise). Domestically, Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman debuted to $103.3 million in 2017 on its way to earning $413 million, while Captain Marvel started off with on its way to grossing $426 million.

After just 17 days in release, Barbie became the first live-action film in history that’s directed by a woman solo to join the global billion-dollar club.

Now that it has passed up Captain Marvel, the question now is whether Barbie can strut past Frozen II‘s worldwide war chest of $1.43 billion to become the top-grossing movie of all time — whether live-action or animated — from a female director. (Lee and Buck’s Frozen earned $1.28 billion globally.)

At this pace, box office observers aren’t ruling anything out when it comes to Barbie, which will easily stay atop the box office chart over the Aug. 11-13 weekend despite being in its fourth outing”.

I am going to finish and, with this paragraph, step away from Barbie. I wonder what will come next for Greta Gerwig. I think that, despite the success, she will continue to do Indie films like Lady Bird. I can see her doing a new York-set film with a smaller budget but with a big cast. Maybe there will be another huge film, but one that steps away from comedy and is more thriller/suspense-set. I have not mentioned how funny  Barbie is. I think it is one of the best and most important comedies in decades. We have always known how great a comedy writer Greta Gerwig (and Noah Baumbach) is. In Barbie, as in all her films, there is that blend of real emotion and terrific comedy. Despite a particular Ryan Gosling ad-lib stealing a lot of focus – when, as Ken, he yells “sublime!” when Barbie agrees to go out with him -, the instantly quotable lines were written by Gerwig and Baumbach. Her direction is breathtaking. Bringing Barbie Land to life. The choregraphed musical numbers and the epic fight scene! So many genres of film spliced. Some terrific references and great mix of clever and smaller jokes and huge belly laughs. So rich, nuanced and inclusive as a film – in terms of gender, sexuality, body type, race and age -, any small quibble and faults (people expect her to be superhuman and perfect!) - again, lazy and nasty misogyny - can be appreciated. Its small faults and huge pluses and accolades are what makes Barbie a film we will be discussing and quoting for generations. I hope Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie work together again. They clearly have this understanding and connection. Robbie has turned in one of her best performances yet – maybe just ahead of her playing Tonya Harding in I, Tonya -, whereas this is Greta Gerwig’s best film I feel.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Director/co-writer Greta Gerwig, here in New York in 2022, spent Thursday and Friday spot-checking different theaters in the city. “It’s been amazing to walk around and see people in pink,” she said on Tuesdy/PHOTO CREDIT: Clement Pascal for The New York Times

In reaction to the huge opening weekend Barbie enjoyed, The New York Times spoke with Greta Gerwig about the film and how (a film) with a big budget seems to have a lot on its mind – a busy film where multiple threads and discussion points are more crucial than the glitz, look and epicness of its all. It is a blockbuster film that still has Indie sensibilities, humble roots and a desire for real conversation, change and thought-provoking reactions:

“After a year and a half of hype, a whirlwind press tour and stellar advance reviews, Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” finally hit theaters this past weekend, smashing box-office records with a $162 million debut, the biggest of the year. That’s the highest-grossing opening weekend ever for a film directed by a woman, and though Gerwig had high hopes for “Barbie,” she can’t quite believe how well her unique spin on the Mattel doll has connected with a mass audience.

“I wanted to make something anarchic and wild and funny and cathartic,” a gob-smacked Gerwig told me over the phone on Tuesday, “and the idea that it’s actually being received that way, it’s sort of extraordinary.”

Few blockbusters these days have as much on their minds as “Barbie”; it is actually, to borrow a quote from “Clueless,” “way existential.” Underneath its candy-coated exterior, “Barbie” tackles issues like sexism and self-determination with aplomb, while never forgetting to supply its stars Margot Robbie (as Barbie) and Ryan Gosling (as Ken) with surprisingly witty jokes, some of which border on the arcane. (Who would have expected a punchline about the ’90s rock band Pavement in the “Barbie” movie?)

What specific things helped you get a grasp on how much the film was resonating?

I think part of the reason I was so fixated on volume levels was because it was a thing I could concentrate on. But mostly, it’s been running into people on the street who are excited and happy and exuberant, because so much of this movie was an attempt to create something that people would want to experience together. So it’s the little things.

My producer David Heyman sent me an email from someone who lives in a tiny Scottish town, and there’s a movie theater there that has been struggling, and they had sold-out shows all weekend for “Barbie.” He was like, “The town is showing up!” And my brother and his sons and his wife all went in Sacramento and sent a picture, then they sent a text saying their oldest son was going back the next day with his friends. These 15- or 16-year-old boys from Sacramento are sending me texts saying, “It was great! We loved the Porsche joke!” Those are the things that feel so amazing. I’ve never quite had anything like this.

One of the scenes that gets the biggest audience reaction is America Ferrera’s monologue about the tightrope that women have to walk in this society. What did you want out of that moment?

I always hoped that America would do this part, and I feel so lucky that she said yes. Over the course of a long time prepping it, we really embroidered it with her own specificity and talked about her experiences and her own life, and three takes in, I was crying. Then I looked around, and everyone was crying — even the men were tearing up. I suddenly thought that this tightrope she’s explaining is something that is present for women in the way that she’s describing it, but it’s also present for everybody.

Everybody is afraid they’re going to put a foot wrong and it’s all going to come crashing down, and in that moment of doing that monologue, she was giving people permission to step off that tightrope. I don’t think I realized until then that’s what that moment was for. She had a piece of the puzzle in her as an actor and collaborator and artist that explained it back to me”.

Before moving, there are other articles I would advise you read that discuss Barbie and its feminism. Vulture ask what is Greta Gerwig trying to tell us with this film. Rolling Stone profiled Gerwig in July. W Magazine argue how Gerwig has brought Indie spirit to Barbie. The Guardian – when they were being neutral and letting Gerwig speak and not questioning the film’s ethics and validity – interviewed her last month. I don’t think there is a pressure for Gerwig to top her box office taking now on her next film. In a way, she is a now a feminist icon. Having made this film in her own vision and setting box office records, Gerwig chatted with The Atlantic and made it clear how you’re interested in what you’re interested in. For her, that is women. There is a writer and actor strike in Hollywood, so nobody knows when Gerwig will make another film and what that will be. She cannot really do more promotion for Barbie. It will go to a streaming service at some point – probably Disney+ or Amazon Video I’d guess -, whereupon there will be a little more discussion and dissection of this year’s best film. I genuinely think Greta Gerwig will be nominated for and win the Oscar for Best Director.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Ellen Fedors for Rolling Stone

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling could get nominations, and it is inevitable Barbie will get nominated for its sets and costumes. That would be a beautiful and sweet cherry on top of the cake! Critically acclaimed, hugely adored by audiences, and a record-breaking film that will be a huge inspiration for other female directors – and inspire a generation of young women in film -, we are in this post-euphoria stage now. The film is still being seen by huge amounts, though I guess what happens to Greta Gerwig is a big question. Prior to Barbie, she was a hugely acclaimed director, writer and actor. Now, having created this titanic film, her career is going to explode! It does seem that she might be set to direct two Narnia films. Her head must be a mix of happiness, tiredness, fulfilment and a sense of uncertainty and dread (what with the strike prohibiting any new projects for now; the thought of following such a huge film). She is the queen of Hollywood and, seriously, someone who they should write books about and put a documentary together pretty soon – though I imagine there are already plans -, I wanted to both react to and discredit any negative, misogynistic or Greta-Gerwig-the-capitalist-sellout features that are depressingly predictable and sexist. To me and millions of others, the peerless and wonderful Greta Gerwig is…

SIMPLY sublime!

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: The Best Tracks from Amazing Supergroups

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

IN THIS PHOTO: First assembled five years ago, boygenius combines the talents of acclaimed singer-songwriters (from left) Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers. The group’s first full-length album, the record, released at the end of March, debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and nnumber one on its Vinyl Albums chart/PHOTO CREDIT: Chantal Anderson for WSJ. Magazine

The Best Tracks from Amazing Supergroups

_________

I saw a news story…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Noel Gallagher/PHOTO CREDIT: Matt Crockett via The Times

on the NME website concerning Noel Gallagher. He seems to have an opinion on everything – whether it is asked for or not! -, but he did mention something that made me both panic and think. Wondering whether surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr would be up for forming a supergroup, I hope that they do not ever do that – but Starr and McCartney continue release music of their own and maybe the two collaborate on something. Regardless of that long-shot dream from Gallagher, I did wonder about supergroups. Before I go on, here is what Gallagher discussed regarding The Beatles’ Macca and Ringo:

“Noel Gallagher has said that he wants to join a supergroup with the surviving members of The Beatles.

The soloist and former Oasis member has long cited the Fab Four’s influence on his music, and previously said that the legendary band “mean everything to me”.

Back in 1995, Gallagher joined forces with Paul McCartney and Paul Weller to record a cover of The Beatles’ classic song ‘Come Together’. The High Flying Birds musician also teamed up with Macca for a duet at Stella McCartney’s 50th birthday party in 2021.

Gallagher has now been quoted by the Mirror as saying that he’d “definitely join a supergroup” with McCartney and Ringo Starr.

IN THIS PHOTO: Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney/PHOTO CREDIT: Fred Duval/FilmMagic

“I don’t know if I would start one,” he explained. “Who would I like to be in a supergroup with? I could be in a band with [Paul] Weller and I could be in a band with Johnny [Marr], easily.”

Gallagher added: “Playing the bass… Ringo and Macca would be fucking great.

“Imagine being in a band with Ringo and Macca. Who’s singing? Everyone. I’d fucking pay to be in it. Get me [promoter] Harvey ­Goldsmith.”

Last October, Gallagher said that The Beatles still remain “a level above” in terms of cultural power.

Asked if he had ever spoken to any of the members of The Beatles about songwriting, he replied: “No, I don’t really speak to other songwriters about songwriting because what would you say? I’m just of the opinion that everybody is the same, some people are just more talented than others”.

We don’t have too many supergroups at the moment. I guess most bands who break up do not really see members go to other bands. Many solo artists find it hard to detach from hat way of working to form a supergroup. We do have current greats such as boygenius. Classic examples such as Traveling Wilburys (Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty ; the band’s debut album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, is thirty-five in October) will always inspire and be celebrated for being able to bring together such high-profile artists and make things work. No egos or disjointed sounds; just harmony and that chemistry! Because of Noel Gallagher’s comments and dreams of forming a supergroup with two Beatles icons, below is a playlist of songs from amazing supergroups both classic and newer. They show that, even if you put together different artists into a band, it can work and lead to something wonderful. Below are some super songs…

FROM some supergroups!

FEATURE: Miss Independence? Why Ne-Yo’s Comments and Stance Regarding Gender Reassignment and Identity Are Dangerous and Flawed

FEATURE:

 

 

Miss Independence?

 IN THIS PHOTO: Ne-Yo/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Why Ne-Yo’s Comments and Stance Regarding Gender Reassignment and Identity Are Dangerous and Flawed

_________

I think that…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Staff at the Oregon Health & Science University’s Doernbecher Gender Clinic discuss hormone therapy options with a new patient and his mother/PHOTO CREDIT: REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson

if you are wading into an argument or debate around gender reassignment surgery and transgender people, then you need to be armed with the facts and all sides of the spectrum. That goes for gender equality and any other issue. You might have your personal opinion about these subjects but, if you share that and it is seen by millions of people, it can be very dangerous if you are misinformed or are being very subject. There are stats that show how people in the U.S. identify as transgender. In 2022, it was five percent. We are talking about a very small number. I will come to articles which highlight the number of people identifying as transgender, in addition to bringing in conversations around children and young people making that decision – and whether they are being informed and getting the best resources and support. Musicians should be able to speak freely about big issues. I wonder, when it comes to personal opinions around subjects like gender reassignment that may be problematic or controversial, they should be armed with more information and resources – which are freely available and they have no excuse for not access and absorbing. I mention this because U.S. musician Ne-Yo recently made his feelings about gander reassignment (specifically children making decisions around gender) clear. Rolling Stone explain more:

“Over the weekend, Ne-Yo appeared in an interview with Gloria Velez for VladTV in which they criticized parents for allowing their children to have a say in their own gender identity from a young age. Shortly after, the musician issued a statement: “After much reflection, I’d like to express my deepest apologies to anyone that I may have hurt with my comments on parenting and gender identity.” Now, after a little more reflection, Ne-Yo has decided to walked back his apology. “This shit is getting out of hand,” he wrote on Instagram. “I will not be bullied into apologising for having an opinion.”

The singer shared a video recorded in his car in which he stated that he wanted his stance to be made clear “from the horse’s mouth, not the publicist’s computer.” Over the duration of the 2-minute long upload, he attempted to justify his opinion on the matter by stating that he is currently raising five sons and two daughters. “I was asked a question, and I answered the damn question. I have no beef with the LBGTQIA+ community whatsoever,” he said. “Do what you want to do with your kids. However, somebody asked my opinion on this matter, and this is how I feel. I will never be okay with allowing a child to make a decision that is detrimental to their life.”

 In his caption, he wrote: “If one of my 7 kids were to decide that he or she wanted to be something other than what they were born as, once they’re old enough and mature enough to make that decision… so be it. Not gonna love em’ any less … But this isn’t even a discussion until they are mentally mature enough to have such a discussion.”

Ne-Yo’s youngest child is four months old, while his oldest is 12.

During the original interview, Ne-Yo crafted hypothetical scenarios about gender identity, including one in which he stated: “If your little boy comes to you and says, ‘Daddy, I want to be a girl.’ And you just let him rock with that? He’s 5 … If you let this 5-year-old boy decide to eat candy all day, he’s gonna do that … He can’t drive a car yet, but he can decide his sex?”

He added: “I just personally come from an era where a man was a man and a woman was a woman. And there was two genders, and that’s just how I rocked. You could identify as a goldfish if you feel like, I don’t care. That ain’t my business. It becomes my business when you try to make me play the game with you. I’m not gonna call you a goldfish. But if you wanna be a goldfish, you go be a goldfish.”

And while he revoked his initial apology and also issued something of a non-apology, he maintained the portion of the statement that committed him to better educating himself on the topic of gender identity. But he made it clear that he has his mind made up already.

“I definitely plan to educate myself a little bit on this matter,” he stated in the video. “However, I doubt that there’s any book anywhere, or any opinion that someone’s gonna tell me, that’s gonna make me okay with letting a child make a decision like that. That’s just period point blank and that’s how I feel. If I get cancelled for this, then you know what? Maybe this is a world where they don’t need a Ne-Yo no more.”

But this conversation is larger than books and opinions. Across the country, anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination has targeted children and teenagers for their identity as well as their parents and families for banding together to protect them. To ensure that their children aren’t harmed, these families have limited their communication to member-only Facebook groups and meetings at undisclosed locations — in secret, these online whisper networks provide guidance for parents and support for their kids.

“Sometimes their kids find friends out of those connections with other trans kids that have been through it,” Allie, a mom who helps moderate a private support group for Texas trans youth and their families, told Rolling Stone last year. “It’s lonely and overwhelming, but when you’re fighting for your kid, you don’t really have much of an option”.

I can understand, to a degree, why some people might not want their own child to make decisions around gender reassignment at a very young age. They should be free to explore the discussion and have access to resources and people who can help and answer their questions. I have recently been reading Gina Martin’s book, “No Offence, But…”. She writes various chapters around gender and sexual consent/social justice. As part of the book, she invited other people to write a chapter around issues relating to, among others, racism, illegal immigration and fast fashion. Rather than write about this issue how most people would, the chapter heading is a particular question relating to that subject. Charlie Craggs’ relates to whether children should be allowed to transition, as they may change their mind. She makes clear that children aren’t having gender reassignment surgery. In the U.K., you have to be eighteen. Children are not being allowed gender reassignment surgery. Treatment and consultation can begin at a lower age but, as Craggs notes, the wait to have surgery can take years. It is not a quick process and, when surgery is completed, the discrimination and hatred still aimed at the transgender community is shocking. There are valuable resources like this. Less than one percentage of the population identify as trans. About one percent of that one percent detransition. Not only is the number very low – one suspects many do identify as trans but are fearful about coming out -, but moist do not regret their decision. The emphasis should be placed on the child if they want treatment or more information. If they identify as a different gender as what is assigned at birth, they should be support. They are not then going into surgery without information and consultation with a doctor.

 IN THIS PHOTO: A protester holds the trans flag and snaps in solidarity with other transgender rights advocates at a demonstration outside the Ohio Statehouse on 6th June, 2021/PHOTO CREDIT: Stephen Zenner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Above all, it is not down to parents or other individuals as to whether they feel comfortable and it is ‘right’. An archaic attitude stating people are either male and female and stick with that is toxic, harmful, and is a big reason as to why trans people are trolled, attacked, and have a high suicide rate. Craggs argues, in her chapter, that those with concerns should ask themselves why. Why are they upset or angry? Do they know about the transition process? Are they aware of the discrimination trans people face and how hard it is being them? Does that drive their concerns and, if so, what can they do about it? Is the reluctance down to age-old stereotypes and a lack of underlying regarding the gender spectrum? Do they know about the attempted suicide rate and why it is so high? Above all, as Craggs points out too, the people who have an issue with children and teens wh want to get treatment for gender reassignment do not have an issue with cis people making equally or larger life decisions. Gambling, drinking alcohol, smoking and even unprotected sex are things not as inflammatory and divisive as trans people. Why is that seemingly okay or not as misguided, but people who want to make their life better and are unhappy in their skin seen as a bad thing?!

The alternative, sadly, is a life led falsely and one according to other people’s perceptions and sense of what is normal and morally right. Suicide attempts and suicide are all possibilities too. Would they prefer this to someone wanting to be who they want to be?! Last year, Associated Press published an article which said that The World Professional Association for Transgender Health said hormones could be started at age fourteen – that is two years earlier than the group’s previous advice, and some surgeries done at age fifteen or seventeen - a year or so earlier than previous guidance. The group acknowledged potential risks but said it is unethical and harmful to withhold early treatment:

“A leading transgender health association has lowered its recommended minimum age for starting gender transition treatment, including sex hormones and surgeries.

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health said hormones could be started at age 14, two years earlier than the group’s previous advice, and some surgeries done at age 15 or 17, a year or so earlier than previous guidance. The group acknowledged potential risks but said it is unethical and harmful to withhold early treatment.

The association provided The Associated Press with an advance copy of its update ahead of publication in a medical journal, expected later this year. The international group promotes evidence-based standards of care and includes more than 3,000 doctors, social scientists and others involved in transgender health issues.

The update is based on expert opinion and a review of scientific evidence on the benefits and harms of transgender medical treatment in teens whose gender identity doesn’t match the sex they were assigned at birth, the group said. Such evidence is limited but has grown in the last decade, the group said, with studies suggesting the treatments can improve psychological well-being and reduce suicidal behavior.

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Starting treatment earlier allows transgender teens to experience physical puberty changes around the same time as other teens, said Dr. Eli Coleman, chair of the group’s standards of care and director of the University of Minnesota Medical School’s human sexuality program.

But he stressed that age is just one factor to be weighed. Emotional maturity, parents’ consent, longstanding gender discomfort and a careful psychological evaluation are among the others.

“Certainly there are adolescents that do not have the emotional or cognitive maturity to make an informed decision,” he said. “That is why we recommend a careful multidisciplinary assessment.”

The updated guidelines include recommendations for treatment in adults, but the teen guidance is bound to get more attention. It comes amid a surge in kids referred to clinics offering transgender medical treatment, along with new efforts to prevent or restrict the treatment.

Many experts say more kids are seeking such treatment because gender-questioning children are more aware of their medical options and facing less stigma.

Critics, including some from within the transgender treatment community, say some clinics are too quick to offer irreversible treatment to kids who would otherwise outgrow their gender-questioning.

Psychologist Erica Anderson resigned her post as a board member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health last year after voicing concerns about “sloppy” treatment given to kids without adequate counseling.

She is still a group member and supports the updated guidelines, which emphasize comprehensive assessments before treatment. But she says dozens of families have told her that doesn’t always happen.

“They tell me horror stories. They tell me, ‘Our child had 20 minutes with the doctor’” before being offered hormones, she said. “The parents leave with their hair on fire.’’

Estimates on the number of transgender youth and adults worldwide vary, partly because of different definitions. The association’s new guidelines say data from mostly Western countries suggest a range of between a fraction of a percent in adults to up to 8% in kids.

Anderson said she’s heard recent estimates suggesting the rate in kids is as high as 1 in 5 — which she strongly disputes. That number likely reflects gender-questioning kids who aren’t good candidates for lifelong medical treatment or permanent physical changes, she said.

Still, Anderson said she condemns politicians who want to punish parents for allowing their kids to receive transgender treatment and those who say treatment should be banned for those under age 18.

“That’s just absolutely cruel,’’ she said”.

It all comes down to the wellbeing, safety and happiness of those who want to transition. I think artists like Ne-Yo need to be more nuanced and educated before they share views like this. He may think that he is taking a stand against something he feels is wrong – and has not bothered to do any research or put others first! -, but this can lead to greater stigma and attacks against the trans community. It is not only artists who should be more considered and wary about keeping their personal opinions about issues they should be more educated about private. Quite a few anti-trans public figures use platforms like X to spread hate and misinformation. It is doing a lot of damage. It also inspires others to do the same. For a community who are already attacked and marginalised, they deserve love and support and not judgement and hatred. I think there needs to be more positive conversation from artists about the trans community  - who make up a very small part of artists in the industry. They deserve nothing but…

RESPECT and support.

FEATURE: Not Being Funny in a Foreign Language: Why Are More Male Artists Not Using Their Voice and Platform for Good?

FEATURE:

 

 

Not Being Funny in a Foreign Language

IN THIS PHOTO: The 1975

Why Are More Male Artists Not Using Their Voice and Platform for Good?

_________

CREATING more trouble and furore…

PHOTO CREDIT: Jordan Hughes Curtis

that he should, The 1975’s Matty Healy keeps stoking flames which his band started. To be fair, Malaysia’s anti-L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ laws and attitudes are insane and inhumane. They violate human rights, and I don’t think any artist should play there until the law changes – and that goes for any other country that imposes such repressive and discrimination laws. The band should do their research before heading to the country. If they played, they should not have anger organisers by performing a gay kiss on stage. I know that would be seen as a positive things in the civilised world but, here, it was unnecessarily thoughtless and petulant – which resulted in the Good Vibes (ironically named!) Festival being cancelled. Now The 1975 are being asked to pay for money lost because of that. NME explain more:

“The 1975‘s Matty Healy has addressed the band’s ongoing controversies in Malaysia after they were banned from the country last month.

While performing in Hawaii on August 6, Healy addressed the crowd before the band dove into ’28’. “All I’ll say is that I don’t give a fuck about any white saviour complex bullshit. What I’ll say is that doing the right thing often requires quite a lot of sacrifice and very little reward. And being seen to do the right thing requires very little sacrifice, and that’s when you get all the rewards. And me and Ross [MacDonald] nearly shaved our heads because we thought we were going to prison for being f*gs”.

Healy’s comments come after he and The 1975 were banned from Malaysia after criticising the country’s government for anti-LGBTQ laws during their headlining set at Kuala Lumpur’s Good Vibes Festival.

During their headlining set at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur on Friday July 21, Healy gave a speech calling out the Malaysian government for its hardline stance on gay rights. “I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I wasn’t looking into it. I don’t see the fucking point, right, I do not see the point of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with,” said Healy.

He continued: “I am sorry if that offends you and you’re religious and it’s part of your fucking government, but your government are a bunch of fucking retards and I don’t care anymore. If you push, I am going to push back. I am not in the fucking mood, I’m not in the fucking mood.”

Healy would go on to kiss bandmate and bassist Ross MacDonald on the lips onstage before their set was cut short two songs later – just seven songs into their setlist – and it was announced that the band were banned from Malaysia and had to leave. The following day, the Malaysian government ordered the cancellation of the remaining two days of Good Vibes Festival.

Yesterday (August 7), Future Sound Asia – the organiser of Good Vibes in Malaysia – revealed that they are pursuing legal action against The 1975, and have sent a Letter Of Claim to the British indie band.

According to a press release, the claim demands that The 1975 acknowledge their liability and compensate Future Sound Asia (FSA) for the damages incurred. It also states that if the band fail to do so, the organisers will pursue legal proceedings in the Courts of England.

“FSA would like to reiterate their strong disapproval of the Band’s behaviour during their performance at GVF2023,” it reads. “In particular, lead singer Matthew Timothy Healy’s use of abusive language, equipment damage, and indecent stage behaviour not only flagrantly breached local guidelines and Malaysian laws but also tarnished the reputation of the 10-year-old festival.”

 Following their actions at the headline set last month, the Malaysian LGBTQ+ community have condemned Healy, suggesting Healy’s actions would make life for the LGBTQ+ community in the country worse.

Additionally, it was reported that by the end of July, 18 police reports had been filed regarding the incident and a class action lawsuit was being readied by Malaysian law firm Thomas Philip – which described the incident as a “deliberate reckless act done knowing well [sic] of the consequences”.

Elsewhere at Lollapalooza this past weekend, The 1975 seemed to poked fun at the Malaysia controversy before performing ‘It’s Not Living If It’s Not With You’.

The moment came during the part of their set where Healy begins to say something controversial, before the band abruptly cut him off with the beginning riff of the song. While performing the song during their set at this year’s Lollapalooza, Healy said: “You want my travel tip? Don’t go to…” before getting cut off by the start of the track”.

 IMAGE CREDIT: kjpargeter via Freepik

Even though I hugely dislike Matty Healy and have said as much in a feature before, I can understand why artists would want to take a stand against anything anti-L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+. If you are on a stage and you know resisting or protesting would lead to big consequences and no real resolution of the issue, then why do it?! Muse also played at the Good Vibes Festival. Both bands could have cancelled and shared their views back in the U.K. Protesting against festivals like this and urging countries that impose anti-L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ to change their ways – otherwise they will not be playing in these nations. I know women in music need to play their part too but, to be fair, many of the very best and biggest are trying to affect change and progress in a number of areas. They seem more proactive and conscientious. That may sound like a generalisation though, in an industry where men still have most of the power and are seen as the most influential. The industry certainly gives them more attention and opportunity. There are many men in the music industry trying to bring about change and highlight inequality. You do not hear many artists doing that. I have said before how it can be a commercial risk taking a stance on an issue. You have to ask whether the risk of staying quiet – and things carrying on as they are – outweighs the risk of speaking out. There are interviews, award ceremonies and gigs where they can speak up and out. From anti-L.B.G.T.Q.I.A.+ laws and discrimination to climate change to gender inequality and sexual assault in the industry (which there are especially few male artists discussing this!), how much of this is being discussed and challenged?!

 PHOTO CREDIT: anna-m. w. via Freepik

I do think that you can maintain a balance of being passionate about causes and talking about it and also focus on music. I have said quite a few times how things like gender equality and sexual assault are subjects men in the industry should do more to address. They do not need to say they understand what a person or group is going through. A hesitation because they feel they are neither qualified enough or have understanding or experience. Saying that they are against nations like Malaysia imposing anti-L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ laws or speaking about how unfair it is that there is inequality through the industry is taking a compassionate and proactive stance. Beyond that, there are forms of protest that can force awakening and change. By not playing festivals that are not supporting women and non-binary artists. Refusing to play or sell your music in nations that are morally corrupt. It is quite a brave step - though it is also very necessary. Of course, this applies to all of the music industry. In past years, there has been a lot more activation and action from women. Whether that is protecting their own rights or calling for change, they have not had the same support from men as they should. Matty Healy’s misguided and irresponsible baiting of a serious issue shows that making a joke about something like getting a festival cancelled and not addressing the actual issue is not funny. He and his band could have walked off stage and then condemned the festival and done an interview where they express their support for the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community. By not doing that, it givers the impression the band do not have that stance.  In more than one sense, men throughout the industry need to use their powerful voices…

FOR good.

FEATURE: Kate Bush: The Deep Cuts: Eat the Music

FEATURE:

 

 

Kate Bush: The Deep Cuts

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional photo for Eat the Music in 1993

Eat the Music

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I have featured this song a few times…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1993/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

but never in the case of it being a Kate Bush deep cut. Even though it has been played on the radio a little bit, many non-Bush fans do not know about Eat the Music. Not only am I writing about the song because it is a deep cut. I am also celebrating its approaching thirtieth birthday. Rubberband Girl was releases as the first single from The Red Shoes on 6th September, 1993. The following day, Eat the Music was released as a single for the U.S. It was released as an E.P. in a few other countries months later, but never in the U.K. as an A-side. The singles from The Red Shoes had moderate success. Eat the Music did virtually nothing in the U.S. Rubberband Girl was a top twenty here, whilst The Red Shoes’ title track and And So Is Love went into the top thirty. Even Moments of Pleasure did not chart as high as it should – getting to twenty-six in the U.K. I am a bit miffed why the singles didn’t perform as well. Maybe fans found Bush’s most energetic and spirited music more accessible and preferable then. Something slower and more ‘composed’ was not seen as all that appealing. The Red Shoes album got to two in the U.K. I recently posted a feature about Rubberband Girl ahead of its thirtieth anniversary next month. When it comes to ranking her songs and fans choosing their favourite, Rubberband Girl does not get a load of love. Bush herself saw it as a silly Pop song; something quite throwaway or slight (though, as I noted, she released two music videos for it and re-recorded it for 2011’s Director’s Cut). Many prefer and would have liked Eat the Music to come out in the U.K.

Both songs share similarities. They are definitely among the most high-energy and catchy songs on The Red Shoes. In fact, I think Eat the Music has this sort of frenzy. celebration and rush that ranks alongside songs such as Jig of Life (from Hounds of Love) when it comes to that spark, dance and energy! With a delightful video (as part of the short film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve, it was conceived by Bush herself), it is a song that deserves a lot more attention and airplay. Before I get to some of the lyrics, the musicians who played on the song, and some of the reaction the track has got, the Kate Bush Encyclopedia give us some information when it comes to the release and background to Eat the Music:

“Song written by Kate Bush. It was originally released as the lead single for The Red Shoes in the USA on September 7, 1993, while everywhere else in the world Rubberband Girl was released. In the UK, a small handful of extremely rare 7" and promotional CD-singles were produced, but were recalled by EMI Records at the last minute. A commercial release followed in the Summer of 1994 in the Netherlands and Australia, along with a handful of other countries. The song's lyrics are about opening up in relationships to reveal who we really are inside.

Formats

The USA CD-single featured the album version and 12" version of 'Eat The Music', along with Big Stripey Lie and Candle In The Wind. A 2 track CD-single, released in the Netherlands in the summer of 1994 featured 'Eat The Music' and You Want Alchemy. The Dutch and Australian 4 track CD-singles featured these two tracks plus the 12" version of 'Eat The Music' [which is actually the 4'55 US edit, see below] and 'Shoedance (The Red Shoes Dance Mix)'. It is worth noting that the Australian CD-single came in a 'Scratch And Sniff' card sleeve.

Versions

There are four versions of 'Eat The Music': the 5'10 minute album version, the 4'55 edit that appears on the American CD-single, a 3'25 minute 'edit radio', released on a French promotional CD-single, and the 9'21 12" version”.

Kate Bush has always been inspired by other cultures and sounds. Wikipedia sources a 1993 interview where Bush does discuss the origin of the song ("Eat The Music was inspired by Madagascan music which I was fortunate enough to hear through Paddy, who gave me some tapes that I loved listening to. The music is so joyous and full of sunshine and it's good to drive to. Justin Vali came to Paddy's attention and soon after, they were both playing valihas to a specially written "Madagascan" song. I wanted it to feel joyous and sunny, both qualities are rife in Justin as a person – so I just had to provide the fruit I hope the result is a colourful one. Again, this was a lot of fun to work on and it features Justin's first lines of sung English which he found hilarious. We found both his singing and his reaction to it delightful." Speaking of the song's lyrics, Bush told Melody Maker in 1993, "It's playing with the idea of opening people up, and the idea of the hidden femininity in a man, and the man in a woman”). If lines like “You put your hands in/And rip my heart out” feel almost horrifying or a metaphor for deceit and broken relationships, it is actually joyous and uplifting. People being opened up to reveal new depths and layers. Bush wanted this colourful and celebratory song to resonate. At a time in her life when there was a lot of professional and personal change and stress, she produced one of her most invigorating, yet underrated and under-played, songs.

All sorts of sweet scents and sensations are put into Eat the Music’s fruit bowl. If some feel the lyrics are weird, clumsy, and they opinion the metaphors and imagery is a bit misconceived and clunky, I will disagree. Eat the Music is a sensation! I especially love this verse: “Take a papaya/You like a guava?/Grab a banana/And a sultana/Rip them to pieces/With sticky fingers/Split the banana/Crush the sultana”. I love all the different exotic and unusual instruments used on Eat the Music! If Rubberband Girl is more basic in terms of its instruments – some nice brass is in the mix, mind! -, then there is something more variegated and ambitious on Eat the Music. There is some brilliant valiha and kabosy work by Justin Vali. Kate Bush’s brother Paddy is on valiha. There is also some tenor saxophone, trombone, and some trumpets. If you interested in knowing what those rarer instruments are I have mentioned, you might have to do some Google-ing! Kate Bush would sort of follow up Eat the Music with something fruit-based a year later.

In 1994, she was involved with composed short instrumental pieces for Fruitopia. It was introduced by Coca-Cola in 1994, and it was targeted at teens and young adults. Only really the second time she had leant her name/music to advertising – following her advertising Seiko watches in Japan in 1978 -, it was an unexpected step. As she did not sing or have to see her name on screen, it was a nice assignment and way of doing something new. Going back to Eat the Music, and the reception at the time was a little odd. Melody Maker felt Eat the Music was "misguided", "all ghastly, Lilt-supping, Notting Hill Carnival calypso". In another review (and going back to Wikipedia), Terry Staunton from NME felt the single was "a shopping list of exotic fruit, as if Kate is pulling Carmen Miranda's hat apart looking for metaphors for love". Parry Gettelman from Orlando Sentinel proclaimed the mighty Eat the Music is "The bizarre fruit metaphors on "Eat the Music" are exceedingly pretentious, but the song has a lilting, African high-life feel”. By contrast, I feel that it is one of Bush’s best mid-career offerings. As wild and joyful as Hounds of Love’s The Big Sky, Eat the Music should be played and discussed more. I think the metaphors work well and are backed by a superb video. If 1993 was not the most successful or memorable year in Kate Bush’s career, the fact she gave us The Red Shoes and brilliant songs like Eat the Music shows she was still on form! As Eat the Music turns thirty on 7th September, I wanted to return to it one more time and…

ENJOY its ripe and flavoursome flesh!

FEATURE: Madonna at Sixty-Five: Five Underrated Studio Albums Worth Exploring

FEATURE:

 

 

Madonna at Sixty-Five

IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna in 1994/PHOTO CREDIT: Herb Ritts 

Five Underrated Studio Albums Worth Exploring

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THIS is my final feature…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna in 1984/PHOTO CREDIT: Herb Ritts

about Madonna ahead of her sixty-fifth birthday on 16th August (Wednesday). I have compiled a couple of Madonna-related playlist recently. There is debate as to which of her albums are the best. Some would say 1989’s Like a Prayer or 1998’s Ray of Light. Early work like her eponymous 1983 debut and 2005’s Confessions on a Dancefloor are up there. I think some of her later work gets overlooked. That said, even early-period albums such as Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986) are not as treasured, discussed and explored as they should be. It is a subjective measure, but below are the five Madonna solo albums I think are underrated. I have also looked at critical lists and there is some crossover. In terms of not getting all the high praise they deserve and deeper cuts being ignored, in chronically order, below are five studio albums from the Queen of Pop that deserve a second look. As she turns sixty-five on Wednesday, I wanted to publish one more feature about…

THE tremendous and iconic Madonna.

____________

Like a Virgin

Release Date: 12th November, 1984

Labels: Sire/Warner Bros.

Producers: Nile Rodgers/Steve Bray/Madonna

Standout Tracks: Angel/Like a Virgin/Pretender

Review:

“Madonna had hits with her first album, even reaching the Top Ten twice with "Borderline" and "Lucky Star," but she didn't become a superstar, an icon, until her second album, Like a Virgin. She saw the opening for this kind of explosion and seized it, bringing in former Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers in as a producer, to help her expand her sound, and then carefully constructed her image as an ironic, ferociously sexy Boy Toy; the Steven Meisel-shot cover, capturing her as a buxom bride with a Boy Toy belt buckle on the front, and dressing after a night of passion, was as key to her reinvention as the music itself. Yet, there's no discounting the best songs on the record, the moments when her grand concepts are married to music that transcends the mere classification of dance-pop. These, of course, are "Material Girl" and "Like a Virgin," the two songs that made her an icon, and the two songs that remain definitive statements. They overshadow the rest of the record, not just because they are a perfect match of theme and sound, but because the rest of the album vacillates wildly in terms of quality. The other two singles, "Angel" and "Dress You Up," are excellent standard-issue dance-pop, and there are other moments that work well ("Over and Over," "Stay," the earnest cover of Rose Royce's "Love Don't Live Here"), but overall, it adds up to less than the sum of its parts -- partially because the singles are so good, but also because on the first album, she stunned with style and a certain joy. Here, the calculation is apparent, and while that's part of Madonna's essence -- even something that makes her fun -- it throws the record's balance off a little too much for it to be consistent, even if it justifiably made her a star” – AllMusic

Key Cut: Material Girl

Erotica

Release Date: 20th October, 1992

Labels: Maverick/Sire/Warner Bros.

Producers: Madonna/Shep Pettibone/André Betts

Standout Tracks: Fever/Deeper and Deeper/Rain

Review:

“IT TOOK MADONNA ten years, but she finally made the record everyone has accused her of making all along. Chilly, deliberate, relentlessly posturing. Erotica is a post-AIDS album about romance — it doesn’t so much evoke sex as provide a fetishistic abstraction of it. She may have intended to rattle America with hot talk about oral gratification and role switching, but sensuality is the last thing on the album’s mind. Moving claustrophobically within the schematic confines of dominance and submission, Erotica plays out its fantasies with astringent aloofness, unhumid and uninviting. The production choices suggest not a celebration of the physical but a critique of commercial representations of sex — whether Paul Verhoeven’s, Bruce Weber’s or Madonna’s — that by definition should not be mistaken for the real thing. It succeeds in a way the innocent post-punk diva of Madonna and the thoughtful songwriter of Like a Prayer could not have imagined. Its cold, remote sound systematically undoes every one of the singer’s intimate promises.]

Clinical enough on its own terms when compared with the lushness and romanticism of Madonna’s past grooves, Erotica is stunningly reined in; even when it achieves disco greatness, it’s never heady. Madonna, along with coproducers Andre Betts and Shep Pettibone, tamps down every opportunity to let loose — moments ripe for a crescendo, a soaring instrumental break, a chance for the listener to dance along, are over the instant they are heard. Erotica is Madonna’s show (the music leaves no room for audience participation), and her production teases and then denies with the grim control of a dominatrix.

Against maraca beats and a shimmying horn riff, “Erotica” introduces Madonna as “Mistress Dita,” whose husky invocations of “do as I say” promise a smorgasbord of sexual experimentation, like the one portrayed in the video for “Justify My Love.” But the sensibility of “Erotica” is miles removed from the warm come-ons of “Justify,” which got its heat from privacy and romance — the singer’s exhortations to “tell me your dreams.” The Madonna of “Erotica” is in no way interested in your dreams; she’s after compliance, and not merely physical compliance either. The song demands the passivity of a listener, not a sexual partner. It’s insistently self-absorbed — “Vogue” with a dirty mouth, where all the real action’s on the dance floor.

Look (or listen) but don’t touch sexuality isn’t the only peep-show aspect of this album; Erotica strives for anonymity the way True Blue strove for intimacy. With the exception of the riveting “Bad Girl,” in which the singer teases out shades of ambiguity in the mind of a girl who’d rather mess herself up than end a relationship she’s too neurotic to handle, the characters remain faceless. It’s as if Madonna recognizes the discomfort we feel when sensing the human character of a woman whose function is purely sexual. A sex symbol herself, she coolly removes the threat of her own personality.

Pure disco moments like the whirligig “Deeper and Deeper” don’t need emotional resonance to make them race. But the record sustains its icy tone throughout the yearning ballads (“Rain,” “Waiting”) and confessional moods (“Secret Garden”). Relieved of Madonna’s celebrity baggage, they’re abstract nearly to the point of nonexistence — ideas of love songs posing as the real thing. Even when Madonna draws from her own life, she’s all reaction, no feeling: The snippy “Thief of Hearts” takes swipes at a man stealer but not out of love or loyalty toward the purloined boyfriend, who isn’t even mentioned.

By depersonalizing herself to a mocking extreme, the Madonna of Erotica is sexy in only the most objectified terms, just as the album is only in the most literal sense what it claims to be. Like erotica, Erotica is a tool rather than an experience. Its stridency at once refutes and justifies what her detractors have always said: Every persona is a fake, the self-actualized amazon of “Express Yourself” no less than the breathless baby doll of “Material Girl.” Erotica continually subverts this posing to expose its function as pop playacting. The narrator of “Bye Bye Baby” ostensibly dumps the creep who’s been mistreating her, but Madonna’s infantile vocal and flat delivery are anything but assertive — she could be a drag queen toying with a pop hit of the past. Erotica is everything Madonna has been denounced for being — meticulous, calculated, domineering and artificial. It accepts those charges and answers with a brilliant record to prove them” – Rolling Stone

Key Cut: Erotica

Bedtime Stories

Release Date: 25th October, 1994

Labels: Maverick/Sire/Warner Bros.

Producers: Madonna/Dallas Austin/Babyface/Dave Hall/Nellee Hooper

Standout Tracks: Survival/Secret/Human Nature

Review:

“AFTER THE DRUBBING she has taken in the last few years, Madonna deserves to be mighty mad. And wounded anger is shot through her new album, Bedtime Stories, as she works out survival strategies. While always a feminist more by example than by word or deed, Madonna seems genuinely shocked at the hypocritical prudishness of her former fans, leading one to expect a set of biting screeds. But instead of reveling in raised consciousness, Bedtime Stories demonstrates a desire to get unconscious. Madonna still wants to go to bed, but this time it’s to pull the covers over her head.

Still, in so doing, Madonna has come up with some awfully compelling sounds. In her retreat from sex to romance, she has enlisted four top R&B producers: Atlanta whiz kid Dallas Austin, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Dave “Jam” Hall and Britisher Nellee Hooper (Soul II Soul), who add lush soul and creamy balladry. With this awesome collection of talent, the record verily shimmers. Bass-heavy grooves push it along when more conventional sentiments threaten to bog it down. Both aspects put it on chart-smart terrain.

A number of songs — “Survival,” “Secret,” “I’d Rather Be Your Lover” (to which Me’Shell NdegéOcello brings a bumping bass line and a jazzy rap) — are infectiously funky. And Madonna does a drive-by on her critics, complete with a keening synth line straight outta Dre, on “Human Nature”: “Did I say something wrong?/Oops, I didn’t know I couldn’t talk about sex (I musta been crazy).”

But you don’t need her to tell you that she’s “drawn to sadness” or that “loneliness has never been a stranger,” as she sings on the sorrowful “Love Tried to Welcome Me.” The downbeat restraint in her vocals says it, from the tremulously tender “Inside of Me” to the sob in “Happiness lies in your own hand/It took me much too long to understand” from “Secret.”

The record ultimately moves from grief to oblivion with the seductive techno pull of “Sanctuary.” The pulsating drone of the title track (co-written by Björk and Hooper), with its murmured refrain of “Let’s get unconscious, honey,” renounces language for numbness.

Twirled in a gauze of (unrequited) love songs, Bedtime Stories says, “Fuck off, I’m not done yet.” You have to listen hard to hear that, though. Madonna’s message is still “Express yourself, don’t repress yourself.” This time, however, it comes not with a bang but a whisper” - Rolling Stone

Key Cut: Take a Bow

American Life

Release Date: 21st April, 2003

Labels: Maverick/Warner Bros.

Producers: Madonna/Mirwais Ahmadzaï

Standout Tracks: American Life/Hollywood/Nothing Fails

Review:

“When Entertainment Weekly inexplicably placed Madonna’s debut LP at number five on its list of modern classics, aptly calling the eight post-disco, post-punk dance songs that comprise the album “scrappy,” it failed to acknowledge that Madonna (and Madonna) would likely have been forgotten along with jelly bracelets and headbands fashioned out of torn scarves had the album not been followed by at least a decade’s worth of some of the most captivating pop music ever recorded. Madonna herself even likened the album to music for aerobics classes and was eager to shack up with Chic’s Nile Rodgers and flex her creative muscle for her career-defining follow-up, Like a Virgin.

This summer, Madonna turns 25, but 2008 also marks the fifth anniversary of a wholly different Madonna album, one that couldn’t possibly be any further removed from that scrappy debut: American Life. You’d never even know the same artist made both albums. Aside from “Holiday,” a song she didn’t write, Madonna seemed more interested in ruling the world than saving it back in 1983; two decades later, American Life found the pop singer at her most political, confrontational, and to many, abrasive. It was her first and, to date, only flop, scanning less than a million copies despite its platinum certification and sporting no hits besides the forward-thinking Bond theme “Die Another Day,” which cracked the Top 10 the previous fall and was—dubiously, at least it seemed at the time—tacked onto the tracklist in a move that ultimately insured that American Life wouldn’t be Madonna’s only hitless album.

As with almost every Madonna album, save for the first one, it’s nearly impossible to talk about the music without addressing the cultural and social context that produced it. Some have claimed that’s why the singer’s image and marketing has always been the focus of her career, at the cost of fairly assessing the actual music, but this fact only strengthens the case for Madonna as a true artist. Art without cultural context is like war without a political one. And this time around, politics and war itself played a pivotal role in the construction, marketing, and ultimate perception and consumption (or lack thereof) of American Life—despite there being very little in the way of political commentary throughout the album.

More so than any other artist who emerged in the video era, Madonna’s songs can’t (and shouldn’t) be divorced from the images she assigns to them, and American Life’s failure can be traced directly to the video for its title track (we’ll ignore, for a moment, the actual song). “American Life” may have been the first time in Madonna’s career where she voluntarily censored herself; moreover, it may have been the first time she made a creative choice out of fear.

In the original unreleased version of the video, directed by Jonas Akerlund, Madonna and a band of unconventional beauties storm a fashion show that includes models dressed in military garb and gas masks, Middle Eastern children modestly strutting their stuff, video screens depicting scenes from war, and limbless soldiers trailing blood down the catwalk. Madonna and her fashion terrorists pummel the paparazzi with water from an industrial-size hose while the audience continues to hoot and holler at the spectacle.

The backlash Madonna likely would have suffered from an already-emboldened and not-so-far-anymore far right would have made the whipping she endured following Sex seem like harmless roleplay. But the video turned a trite, self-aggrandizing, and often awkward song about privilege into a startling comment on the obscenity of war and materialism—one that would have undoubtedly been looked back on as brave.

Madonna couldn’t possibly have intended to make a pop album. American Life is a folk album in the purest definition of the term—and it’s reflected right in the title. Though it owes plenty to the protest folk of the 1960s, the album’s anti-capitalist bent presented a dichotomy that’s been endemic in Madonna’s work since she co-opted “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” and transformed it into an anthem for self-empowerment back in the ’80s. “What I want is to work for it,” she sings nakedly on “Easy Ride,” “feel the blood and sweat on my fingertips.” It’s the complete antithesis of what it means to be a Material Girl.

American Life is deeply personal (Madonna writes candidly about her relationships with her husband, children, and God) but only immediately relatable if you just so happen to be grappling with what it means to be one of the most famous people in the world. In other words, it’s profoundly truthful, but its audience is limited by design.

On the hymnal folk ballad “X-Static Process,” Madonna sounds almost childlike when she begs: “Jesus Christ, won’t you look at me/I don’t know who I’m supposed to be.” Mortality is a key issue on American Life, an inevitable existential crisis for an artist who reached godlike levels of idolatry and fame and stayed there longer than anyone else in modern pop-culture history without self-destructing. Questions like “Why am I here?” and “What is the purpose of all of this?” were inescapable. Madonna’s vocals are reminiscent of her pre-fame days on the guitar-driven “I’m So Stupid,” a track with a decidedly punk-rock sensibility on which she reassesses the value of the material world: “Please don’t try to tempt me/It was just greed/And it won’t protect me,” a sentiment she reprises on the wall of a bathroom stall in the “American Life” video.

In hindsight, American Life isn’t the masterpiece that Erotica so quickly revealed itself to be. It’s frequently self-indulgent, misguided, unpleasant, difficult to listen to, silly yet somehow humorless, but it’s also consistent, uncompromising, and unapologetic. The album is a testament to the artist’s willingness to take risks and her refusal to stay inside her comfort zone. 

In the grand scheme of things, the album might rank as one of the weakest in Madonna’s extensive catalog, and the ones that followed have been as good, if not better, but American Life stands as the last time Madonna seemed to make music without the primary objective of scoring a hit. It’s interesting to imagine what Madonna’s career would look like today had American Life been a success: For better or worse, that pink leotard and Justin duet might never have existed” – SLANT

Key Cut: Love Profusion

Rebel Heart

Release Date: 6th March, 2015

Label: Interscope

Producers: Madonna/Diplo/Ariel Rechtshaid/Avicii/Blood Diamonds/Billboard/Jason Evigan/Shelco Garcia & Teenwolf/Kanye West/Mike Dean/Toby Gad/AFSHeeN/Josh Cumbee/Salem Al Fakir/Symbolyc One/Magnus Lidehäl/lVincent Pontare/Astma & Rocwell/Carl Falk

Standout Tracks: Living for Love/Ghosttown/Joan of Arc

Review:

“Rebel Heart was introduced to the world with an indiscipline uncharacteristic of Madonna. Blame it on hackers who rushed out a clutch of unfinished tracks at the end of 2014, a few months before the record's scheduled spring release. Madonna countered by putting six full tracks up on a digital service, a move that likely inflated the final Deluxe Edition of Rebel Heart up to a whopping 19 tracks weighing in at 75 minutes, but even that unveiling wasn't performed without a hitch: during an ornate performance of "Living for Love," she stumbled on-stage at the BRIT Awards. Such cracks in Madge's armor happily play into the humanity coursing through Rebel Heart (maybe the hiccups were intentional after all?), a record that ultimately benefits from its daunting mess. All the extra space allows ample room for detours, letting Madonna indulge in both Erotica-era taboo-busting sleaze ("Holy Water") and feather-light pop ("Body Shop"). Although she takes a lingering look back at the past on "Veni Vidi Vici" -- her cataloging of past hits walks right on the edge of camp, kept away from the danger zone by a cameo from Nas -- Rebel Heart, like any Madonna album, looks forward. Opener "Living for Love" announces as much, as its classic disco is soon exploded into a decibel-shattering EDM pulse coming courtesy of co-producer Diplo. Madonna brings him back a few more times -- the pairing of the reggae-bouncing "Unapologetic Bitch" and Nicki Minaj showcase "Bitch I'm Madonna," their titles suggesting vulgarity, their execution flinty and knowing -- but she cleverly balances these clubby bangers with "Devil Pray," an expert evocation of her folktronica Y2K co-produced by Avicii, and "Illuminati," a sleek, spooky collaboration with Kanye West. These are the anchors of the album, grounding the record when Madonna wanders into slow-churning meditation, unabashed revivals of her '90s adult contemporary mode, casual confession ("I spent sometime as a narcissist"), and defiant celebrations of questionable taste. Undoubtedly, some of this flair would've been excised if the record was a manageable length, but the blessing of the unwieldiness is that it does indeed represent a loosening of Madonna's legendary need for control. Certainly, the ambition remains, along with the hunger to remain on the bleeding edge, but she's allowing her past to mingle with her present, allowing her to seem human yet somewhat grander at the same time” – AllMusic

Key Cut: Bitch I’m Madonna

FEATURE: One for the Record Collection! Essential September Releases

FEATURE:

 

 

One for the Record Collection!

IN THIS PHOTO: Róisín Murphy/PHOTO CREDIT: Nik Pate

Essential September Releases

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THERE are some great albums….

 IN THIS PHOTO: Olivia Rodrigo/PHOTO CREDIT: Splash News

due next month that you will want to pre-order. I am going to highlight them here. First, and starting with 1st September, and there are a couple of albums worth investigating. Slowdive’s Everything Is Alive an album I would recommend you pre-order. For most of these albums, I am going to link to Rough Trade’s website, as they have a great reputation and know their music! These albums will be available on other websites too.

“Everything Is Alive, Slowdive’s 5th record, is exactly what the title suggests: an exploration into the shimmering nature of life and the universal touch points within it. While there are parts of this record that could sit neatly next to the atmospheric quality of 1995’s Pygmalion; everything is alive also manages to break down the boundaries of what’s come before it.  Spanning psychedelic soundscapes, pulsating 80’s electronic elements and John Cale inspired journeys, the album lands immediately as something made for 2023 and beyond.

For a genre that is often thought of as divisive, and often warrants introspection, here Slowdive show their craft as the masters of it by pushing it outwards, beyond the singular; the end result being a record which feels as emotional and cathartic as it is hopeful”.

I would say that you should also check out The Pretenders’ Relentless. This is an iconic band that keep on releasing sensational music. I am looking forward to their new album, and I would say that you should go and pre-order it if you are a fan. Led by the amazing Chrissie Hynde, the band have lost none of their gold touch and quality! It does seem like Relentless is going to rank alongside their very best! There is not a lot of information available when it comes to the album, its themes and anything like that, but Rough Trade do offer some basics. In any case, if you are a fan of The Pretenders, it will come as no surprise that this is business as usual for the amazing band:

“The Pretenders release their 14th studio album. Produced by David Wrench and recorded at Battery Studios in West London, Relentless is released via Parlophone. It features 12 new songs co-written by the iconic Chrissie Hynde and Pretenders' guitarist James Walbourne”.

I am going to jump to the next week. There are seven albums from that week that you should think about purchasing. I better get down to things! One that should be on your radar is Coach Party’s KILLJOY. The Isle of Wight band are among my favourite around. They have such a promising future. This album is one that I think will firmly put them on the map. They have honed their craft by playing live. Not that they were not brilliant at the start, but you can feel and hear this new quality and sense of purpose from their songs. It is a trajectory that is going to continue strong. Go and pre-order the fantastic KILLJOY:

“After three striking 10" EP's - Isle of Wight's Coach Party unleash their debut album. It's everything we hoped for and more. The production is crisp and clear whilst the playing is of a band that have spent the last few years playing hundreds of gigs / festivals and learning their craft. The 10 tracks are upbeat and noisy guitar pop that hints at the debut Elastica album, The Breeders, The Big Moon and Nirvana. It really is that good”.

The next album that I want to suggest you keep an eye out for is Courtney Barnett’s End of the Day (Music from the Film Anonymous Club). The Australian artist keeps on delivering some of the most instantly recognisable and sensational albums. I am excited to see what End of the Day (Music from the Film Anonymous Club) offers up. Rather than it being a traditional studio album, Rough Trade explain what we can expect on 8th September:

“End of the Day is a collection of original music created by Courtney Barnett and Stella Mozgawa for Courtney's 2022 award-winning documentary, Anonymous Club (premiered in the U.S. at SXSW 2022). The soundtrack album features 17 ambient tracks, reworked and perfected in the studio. It feels like a new chapter, but also unmistakably like Courtney Barnett”.

Apologies that there is not a great deal of information for some of the albums I have recommended so far. It can be a bit tricky finding out too much if the press team or label does not offer too much. I guess we will find out more on each of the albums closer to their release dates. I am going to move to James Blake’s Playing Robots Into Heaven. Again, there is scant information available at this stage. You will be familiar with James Blake and his music. Playing Robots Into Heaven follows on from 2021’s Friends That Break Your Heart. One of the U.K.’s best artists, Blake always delivers something very special. It may not convert non-fans of James Blake but, if you do like his stuff, it is well worth checking out his upcoming album. This is what we know about Playing Robots Into Heaven so far:

“Playing Robots Into Heaven follows the critically acclaimed Friends That Break Your Heart and will see James return to the electronic roots of his Hessle, Hemlock and R&S Records days”.

Four more albums from 8th September I want to bring in. The first is Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS. I think that this could rank alongside the best of the year. Following 2021’s acclaimed SOUR, GUTS is going to be another huge release from the Californian-born superstar. I would recommend that everyone pre-orders this album. Again, there is not a lot available regarding details and insights, but we do get a bit of personal insight from Rodrigo:

“Grammy-winning recording artist Olivia Rodrigo releases her new album, GUTS via Geffen Records. She recorded the album with producer Daniel Nigro, who also collaborated with her on SOUR, her chart-topping, 4x Platinum debut album.

“For me, this album is about growing pains and trying to figure out who I am at this point in my life,” says Olivia Rodrigo. “I feel like I grew 10 years between the ages of 18 and 20—it was such an intense period of awkwardness and change. I think that’s all just a natural part of growth, and hopefully the album reflects that.” On “vampire,” the album’s first single, Rodrigo’s increased maturity and bold confidence are apparent”.

One of my favourite artists is Róisín Murphy. She is releasing Hit Parade on 8th September. The Disco and Dance queen has offered some cuts from her forthcoming album. It is going to be another gem. I have so much love and respect for what she does. I would encourage you all to pre-order the mighty Hit Parade. It is definitely not going to disappoint in any way:

“One of music’s most innovative artists, Queen of Electronic Music and the Avant-Garde, Róisín Murphy is back with a much anticipated new album - her sixth - in collaboration with the legendary producer DJ Koze. Hit Parade, on Ninja Tune, sees the idiosyncratic trailblazer masterfully spanning genres such as disco, soul, pop and house. The album features 13 indelible tracks and is one of the albums of 2023.

Bonus CD features a selection of tracks live from the recent Royal Albert Hall gig”.

I might include an eighth album from 8th September, as I forgot that Romy Mid Air is out that week. The debut album from one third of the xx, happily there is a bit more detail about this much-anticipated album from a tremendous talent:

“Romy releases her highly-anticipated debut solo album. The UK singer, songwriter and DJ, who previously released three acclaimed albums with her band The xx, releases Mid Air via Young.

Mid Air is an album about celebration, sanctuary and salvation on the dance floor. It's an album that deals with love, grief, relationships, identity and sexuality and is a love letter to the queer clubs where Romy found community and connection. It’s a coming-out album in a way, although she came out in her personal life a long time ago, but it’s also a coming-through album – through grief and heartache, towards euphoria.

Mid Air sees Romy working alongside producers Fred again.. and Stuart Price, as well as her bandmate Jamie xx on recent single “Enjoy Your Life”. Also featuring the previous single (and crossover anthem) “Strong”, Mid Air is the perfect encapsulation of a sound Romy describes as “emotional music to dance to”. It’s a sound that’s set to unify dancefloors, distilling Romy’s love of club classics and classic song writing and finding the sweet spot – like much of Romy’s favourite music – between euphoria, escapism, sadness and melancholy.

The Fred again..-produced “Loveher” is a pivotal track for Romy and acts as both the album opener and the first song to be written for the record. Romy and Fred were first paired together to write songs for other people, but their fast friendship and musical connection proved to be a spark for something new. After writing “Loveher”, a declarative pop song about the intimacy of falling in love with a woman, “Fred asked me, who could this be for?” explains Romy “and I tentatively said… ‘maybe me?’”. A proud and positive queer love story, this was the beginning of Mid Air”.

Another corker due on a very busy week is The Chemical Brothers’ For That Beautiful Feeling. It is a pretty intriguing title from the legendary duo. I hope that people do go and pre-order this magnificent album from Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons:

“The Chemical Brothers - one of the most acclaimed and innovative electronic duo in the world - release their tenth studio album For That Beautiful Feeling.

Recorded in the band’s own studio just near the south coast, this is a record that hunts for and captures that that wild moment when sound overwhelms you and almost pulls you under yet ultimately lets you ride its wave, to destinations unknown. It’s a record that pinpoints the exact moment you lose all control, where you surrender and let the music move you as if pulled by an invisible thread”.

I am going to move on after this suggestion. The Coral’s Sea of Mirrors is one you’ll need to pre-order. This band are among my favourite, so I am interesting to hear what their latest album sounds like. It looks like it is shaping up to be among the very best of this year:

“Following the widely-acclaimed 2021 double album, Coral Island, The Coral announce ‘surreal Italian spaghetti western soundtrack’, Sea Of Mirrors.

Bridging their UK Chart No.2 success and the sun-bleached sets of imagined films, the physical formats-only release of Holy Joe’s Coral Island Medicine show makes it two albums in one year Singular psych-folk-pop-rock wanderers, The Coral revel in a resurgent phase of artistic enquiry and release two albums at the same time. Imagining the scorched sand, cardboard cowboys and flooded sets of a never-made Italian spaghetti western, the single 'Wild Bird' snaps the clapperboard on a new story playing out all the way to the release of Sea Of Mirrors, the band’s eleventh studio album ‘proper’.

After 2021’s expansive Coral Island album landed the Number 2 spot on the UK’s Official Album Chart and won unanimous critical praise, material for two, further albums occurred to the band. Amidst that songwriting scirroco, it was a script was written by keyboard player, Nick Power, and vintage cinema foyer poster artwork was created by drummer, Ian Skelly that confirmed Sea Of Mirrors’ vivid concept and the blueprint for The Coral to move beyond all expectations once again. The film’s envisaged opening theme, Wild Bird’s evocative sunlit shadows come laced with deft string arrangements courtesy of the album’s co-producer, Sean O’Hagan (The High Llamas, Stereolab) who was welcomed into The Coral fold as one of a number of guests and collaborators featured across Sea Of Mirrors’ 13-tracks.

Between the two albums, the band additionally count actors Cillian Murphy and John Simm, plus Love guitarist, Johnny Echols, as contributors. Former band member, Bill Ryder-Jones joins the songwriting credits for Sea Of Mirrors. The Sundowners are also amongst guests adding their voices to the album. James Skelly says of Wild Bird: “Like most of The Coral’s best known songs you could pick out, it was written in about five minutes. Once the album concept was clear, this was us imagining the theme tune for an Italian western directed by Fellini with a Richard Yates-written script. It’s us asking ourselves: what would have happened if Lee Hazlewood had produced a Gene Pitney song written by Townes Van Zandt?” Sea Of Mirrors and Holy Joe’s Coral Island Medicine Show became the last albums to be recorded at Liverpool’s legendary Parr Street Studios, a long-term home to The Coral and numerous other bands from inside and outside the city prior to its closure last year. Opening sessions with O’Hagan in London, returning to Parr Street and, eventually, completing in final sessions at Skelly and producer, Chris Taylor’s new recording facility, Kempston Street Studios, the album finds itself a part of music history for reasons beyond it’s place in The Coral’s extensive catalogue”.

There are many albums due out on 15th September that you might be interested in. Rather than discuss them all, I feel there are five that you need to get. I will start with Corinne Bailey Rae’s Black Rainbows. It seems that her new album is a change in sonic direction. You will want to pre-order it:

“Black Rainbows is a musical project inspired by the objects and artworks collected by Theaster Gates at the Stoney Island Arts Bank in Chicago. Situated at the Great Grand Crossing neighbourhoods of Chicago's South Side, Stoney Island Arts Bank is a cathedral to Black Art, a curated collection of Black archives comprising books, sculpture, records, furniture and problematic objects from America's past. As well as being a site for archive, the Arts bank is also a place for convening. Bailey Rae attended The Black Artists Retreat there in 2017 and performed in the space.

Wide ranging in it's themes, Black Rainbows' subjects are drawn from encounters with objects in the Arts Bank. Taking us from the rock hewn churces of Ethiopia, to the journeys of Black Pioneers Westward, from Miss New York Transit Queen 1957, to how the sunset appears from Harriet Jacobs' loophole.Black Rainbows explores Black femininity, Spell Work, Inner Space/Outer Space, time collapse and ancestors, the erasure Black childhood and music as a vessel for transcendence.

The project is released in various iterations - live performances, books, visuals, lectures, exhibitions, and more.Sonically, the album is a multi-genre mix of the progressive R&B, neo soul sound that will be familiar to fans but it also contains rock, jazz and electronic elements. The album was produced by S.J. Brown and Corinne Bailey Rae”.

The magnificent Demi Lovato is releasing REVAMPED on 15th September. If you are a fan of their music or not, then I would suggest that this is an album that you need in your collection. Here is what you need to know:

“Grammy-nominated global superstar Demi Lovato releases REVAMPED featuring rock versions of her hit songs. “Sorry Not Sorry (Rock Version)” features energetic new vocals and updated production from Warren ‘Oak’ Felder, Keith "Ten4" Sorrells, and Alex Nice, turning the iconic hit into an electrifying new smash. Legendary guitarist Slash of Guns N’ Roses, often heralded as the greatest guitarist of all time, provides razor sharp guitar riffs and a high-intensity solo fit for the revamped version of the song. “Sorry Not Sorry” was originally released six years ago as the lead single from Demi’s sixth studio album, Tell Me You Love Me. “Sorry Not Sorry (Rock Version)” follows the release of “Heart Attack (Rock Version)” and “Cool for the Summer (Rock Version),” with much more to come on REVAMPED. With all new vocals and production, the 10-track album REVAMPED sees Demi reimagine her career-defining songs with a fresh perspective that reflects her current artistic vision. The re-recorded music showcases Demi’s artistic growth and versatility, as she seamlessly evolves her songs from pop to rock while maintaining her signature powerhouse vocals”.

Let’s focus on Madison Beer’s Silence Between Songs. An incredible artist that some might not know about, I would still recommend you pre-order it. If you need some background and advice, then this website fills in the gaps. Madison Beer is truly a sensational artist who is going to be in the industry for many years to come:

“Madison Beer's highly anticipated second album has experienced a tumultuous journey since its conception. Initially, Beer had planned to release both her debut album, "Life Support," and her sophomore album in 2021. However, unforeseen circumstances led to multiple delays.

After a Dropbox hack, there was a significant leak of several songs from the second album. In addition to the leak, Beer faced challenges in collaborating with her writing team due to scheduling conflicts during her Life Support tour. As a result, the album's release was pushed back to 2022. Further complications arose, leading to the album's release being delayed once more to 2023.

On May 31, Beer finally announced the album on social media with the release date of September 15, 2023. after the announcement of her sophomore album, Madison's webstore updated with a countdown to June 2 for the album preorder.

Beer described the sound as being very different from Life support. There will be no "bops" on the album and is aimed to mostly consist of ballads.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Beer stated that Lana Del Rey had listened to her album and particularly enjoyed the opening track”.

I will round off this week with Mitski’s The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We. If you are not sure who Mitski is or why this album is worth getting then here is some more information that may sway your decision:

“Sometimes, Mitski says, it feels like life would be easier without hope, or a soul, or love. But when she closes her eyes and thinks about what’s truly hers, what can’t be repossessed or demolished, she sees love. “The best thing I ever did in my life was to love people,” Mitski says. “I wish I could leave behind all the love I have, after I die, so that I can shine all this goodness, all this good love that I’ve created onto other people.” She hopes her newest album, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, will continue to shine that love long after she’s gone. Listening to it, that’s precisely how it feels: like a love that’s haunting the land.

Love is always radical, which means that it always disrupts, which means that it always takes work to receive it. This land, which already feels inhospitable to so many of its inhabitants, is about to feel hopelessly torn and tossed again – at times, devoid of love. This album offers the anodyne. “This is my most American album,” Mitski says about her seventh record, and the music feels like a profound act of witnessing this country, in all of its private sorrows and painful contradictions. But “maybe it’s beyond witnessing,” she says. At times, it feels like the album is an exercise in negative capability – a fearless embodiment and absorption of the pain of other bodies. When I ask her what the album would look like, if it were a person, she says it would be someone middle-aged and exhausted, perhaps someone having a midlife crisis. But through the daily indignity and exhaustion, something enormous and ecstatic is calling out. In this album, which is sonically Mitski’s most expansive, epic, and wise, the songs seem to be introducing wounds and then actively healing them. Here, love is time-traveling to bless our tender days, like the light from a distant star.

Mitski wrote these songs in little bursts over the past few years, and they feel informed by moments of noticing – noticing a sound that’s out of place, a building that groans in decay, an opinion that splits a room, a feeling that can’t be contained in a body. It was recorded at both the Bomb Shelter in East Nashville and the Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles. The album incorporates an orchestra arranged and conducted by Drew Erickson, as well as a full choir of 17 people - 12 in LA and 5 in Nashville - arranged by Mitski. And for the first time, it felt important to Mitski to have a band recording live together in the studio, to create this new sublime sound. Working with her longtime producer Patrick Hyland, the album has a wide-range of references, from Ennio Morricone’s bombastic Spaghetti Western scores to Carter Burwell’s tundra-filling Fargo soundtrack, from the breathy intimacy of Arthur Russell to the strident aliveness of Scott Walker or Igor Stravinsky, from the jubilation of Caetano Veloso to the twangy longing of Faron Young”.

I am going to jump to 22nd September and round off soon. Again, there are plenty of options regarding great and interesting albums. I will choose three that you should own. I think there are two from 29th that are worth getting, so let’s say five, maybe six more, to go. One of the most anticipated albums of this year is going to be Kylie Minogue’s TENSION. After the success of the Padam Padam single, so many people are keen to snap up this album. Go and pre-order your copy:

“Kylie’s brand new studio album, Tension, a record of euphoric, empowered dance floor bangers and sultry pop cuts. Tension is eleven tracks of unabashed pleasure-seeking, seize-the-moment, joyful pop tunes with the hypnotic electro of ‘Padam Padam’ opening the album.

Discussing ‘Tension’, Kylie says, “I started this album with an open mind and a blank page. Unlike my last two albums there wasn’t a ‘theme’, it was about finding the heart or the fun or the fantasy of that moment and always trying to service the song. I wanted to celebrate each song’s individuality and to dive into that freedom. I would say it’s a blend of personal reflection, club abandon and melancholic high”.

I am interested in Loraine James’ Gentle Confrontation. Out on 22nd September, it features one of the most striking album covers of the year! If you are intrigued at all, then go and pre-order a copy of James’ upcoming album. I think you will fall in love with the music pretty quickly:

“Gentle Confrontation, Loraine James's third Hyperdub album, opens a new chapter of her real and sonic life in which she examines her past and present. It's a positively languid, enjoyably disjointed set made while listening to her teenage favourites; math rock and emo-electronic such as DNTEL, Lusine and Telefon Tel Aviv.

The album also features an ever more diverse set of peers, placing them in her unusual musical settings and drawing out sensitive and reflexive performances. At other times the album stretches out into a drifting ambience as if seeking a sense of bliss in the everyday. Gentle Confrontation is about relationships (especially familial), understanding, and giving back a little grace and care, while the tone of the record criss-crosses watery ambience with denatured rhythm and asmr beats.

These 16 tracks are Loraine's best work yet, and a personal and musical leap forward, delivering a totally unique vision of electronic pop music”.

The last album from 22nd September you need to own is Laurel Halo’s Atlas. Before getting to albums due on 29th September, here is some detail about Laurel Halo’s forthcoming jewel of an album:

“Currently based in Los Angeles, Laurel Halo has spent over a decade stepping into different towns and cities for a moment or more, to the point where everywhere almost became nowhere. Atlas, the debut release on her new imprint Awe, is an attempt to put that feeling to music. Using both electronic and acoustic instrumentation, Halo has created a potent set of sensual ambient jazz collages, comprised of orchestral clouds, shades of modal harmony, hidden sonic details, and detuned, hallucinatory textures. The music functions as a series of maps, for places real and imaginary, and for expressing the unsaid.

The process of writing Atlas began back in 2020 when she reacquainted herself with the piano. She relished the piano's physical feedback, as well as its capacity to express emotion and lightness. And when the legendary Ina-CRM Studios in Paris invited her to take up a residency the following year in 2021, she spared no time to dub, stretch and manipulate some of the simple piano sketches she'd recorded over the prior months; these subtle piano recordings and electronic manipulations would go on to become the heart of Atlas. In the remainder of 2021 and 2022, with time spent between Berlin and London, Halo recorded additional guitar, violin and vibraphone, as well as acoustic instrumentation from friends and collaborators including saxophonist Bendik Giske, violinist James Underwood, cellist Lucy Railton and vocalist Coby Sey. All of these sounds were shaped, melted, and re-composed into the arrangements, their acoustic origins rendered uncanny.

In short, Atlas is road trip music for the subconscious. With repeated listens, it is a record that can leave a deep sensorial impression on the listener, akin to walking at dusk in a dark forest. Its humor and sharp focus would dispel any notions of sentimentality. Completely distinct from the rest of Halo's catalog, Atlas is an album that thrives in the quietest places, rejecting bombast and embracing awe.

Fitting that it's the debut release on her new recording label, whose slogan parallels the mood and atmosphere of the album: Awe is something you feel when confronted with forces beyond your control: nature, the cosmos, chaos, human error, hallucinations”.

Finishing with two from 29th September, and another contender for the best and most anticipated albums of the year comes in the form of Jorja Smith’s falling or flying. Walsall-born Smith’s second studio album is going to be even stronger than her debut, Lost & Found, in my view. Here is where you can pre-order it:

“Double Brits Awards Winner and Grammy / Mercury Prize nominee Jorja Smith returns with her second album. On the album Smith embarks on an adventure of sounds and thrills. It's smooth, it's pop and soulful and sure to be one of the albums of this year.

Sonically, this album, a no-skips body of work, isn’t like anything you’ve heard before. It sits masterfully in this same space of excitement, self-exploration and self-assertion that Jorja does. Compromised of deep, thumping drums, racing basslines, irresistible hooks and distinctive beats, ‘falling or flying’ runs at the same pace that Jorja’s mind does. ‘I don't slow down enough’ she says. ‘This album is like my brain. There’s always so much going on but each song is definitely a standstill moment.’

Of the many British voices in music today, Jorja is among the most commanding, writing at a pitch of intensity and urgency that few can match”.

Quite an important album in my view, people should go and pre-order Molly Burch’s Daydreamer. Out on 29th September, below is some background about a very special artist and album. I have been a fan of hers for a while, but I am aware that some people might not be overly-familiar:

“For Molly Burch, the age 13 was a seminal moment in life that has shaped the path that she is on now. Burch's fourth album, Daydreamer, explores the feelings and insecurities of this critical stage. Burch has recently relocated to her hometown of Los Angeles, but while she was still residing in Austin, she visited home and did that thing our parents love to have us do: rummage through old boxes to see what shit we can throw away. Upon finding her old diaries from age 13 and younger, Burch was brought to tears. Realizing how cruel she was to herself then, and how she still harbors many of those same self-critiques. It was this visit that forced her to take responsibility for where she was currently at in life, anxiety and body issues and all, and to try to let go of old habits.

The thematic territory mined on Daydreamer makes it her most personal album yet, and though yes, she says that about all of her albums, this one in particular is a conversation between Burch's state of being when she was younger and how she feels currently as an adult. Daydreamer boasts a sharper, much cleaner production approach and a bit more pop than Burch's previous records, thanks to producer Jack Tatum (Wild Nothing). The result is music that feels stirring and sweeping, pulling in sounds and influences of the past, while also propelling Burch into a further development of herself as an artist.

 On the surface, lead single "Physical" is a dark and sultry '80s mid-tempo jam with an intro that could very well be on the soundtrack to a John Carpenter horror film. It's also about Burch's public struggles with PMS. The album also returns to themes that have become somewhat of a signature for Burch, such as unrequited love on "Unconditional." And then there's "Tattoo," one of the more emotional songs on the album, where Burch writes an ode to her best friend in high school who took her own life in 2009. It's the longest Burch has ever taken to write a song, an ethereal ballad featuring sweeping harp and backup vocals from Luna Li (Hannah Kim).

Though the album spends time with mournful, anxious reflections, the songs on Daydreamer never feel bogged down in bleakness or morbidity. Burch's ability to take the darkest moments of her life and translate them to a universal language lays the ground for her most masterful pop writing to-date. Daydreamer is dedicated not only to her thirteen year-old self, but the thirteen year-old selves of listeners that still lingers within them. As children, we escape the world and our scariest thoughts through daydreaming. When Burch was a kid, she would daydream about how life would look when she was older, when she'd presumably have all her shit together. Now, as an adult, she finds herself daydreaming about what's next in life, what she'll create in the future, and the person she wants to be”.

If you need some suggestions as wo which albums out next month are worth buying, then I hope the above has been helpful. Alongside releases from The Coral and James Blake, queens such as Róisín Murphy, Kylie Minogue and Jorja Smith bring us albums that might rank alongside their career best. September looks like it will be a busy and…

HUGELY exciting month for music.

FEATURE: A Great Heart: Saluting the Legendary Feargal Sharkey at Sixty-Five

FEATURE:

 

 

A Great Heart

PHOTO CREDIT: Richard Cannon for Country Life

Saluting the Legendary Feargal Sharkey at Sixty-Five

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THIS is a music website….

 PHOTO CREDIT: Adam Gerrard/Daily Mirror

so I will be dropping in a playlist featuring some of the classic Undertones songs Feargal Sharkey has sung on, in addition to some of his solo cuts. The Derry-born icon turns sixty-five on 13th August, so there were a few reasons I wanted to celebrate that. For one, he is someone who has influenced so many other artists. From his amazing work with The Undertones and his solo material, he has definitely drive and moved artists coming through. I have a special memory of hearing his solo hit, A Good Heart. Released in 1985 and written by Maria McKee, the chart-topping track first came to my ears in the '90s. The first time I heard it was when I was with the family and driving for dinner at a local pub. It may sound quite ordinary but this track instantly moved and excited me. I listen to it now – having heard it countless times – and I am transported. Sharkey’s soulful and beautiful voice is like no other. There is another reason why we need to celebrate his upcoming birthday extra hard. With the climate being in crisis, our rivers polluted, wildfires everywhere and the temperature rising, there are relatively few artists and public figures acting and calling for change. Sharkey is someone that is highlighting the devastating impact pollution is doing to our rivers and waterways. I am going to drop in a couple of interviews where he discusses his passion and calling for change.

This interview from The New Statesman is very interesting. There are parallels between Northern Ireland’s Troubles and the devastation being wrought on our rivers. Feargal Sharkey is someone who is always challenging the government and asking for action to be taken:

“Every time we were told we couldn’t do something, that just made us 50 times more likely to do it,” the punk star Feargal Sharkey said of beginning his career in Northern Ireland’s Derry. The city was severely affected by the country’s violent sectarian conflict, with “people saying bands from Derry don’t make records or write their own songs”. But in 1978, the Undertones defied the Troubles, releasing a punk classic, “Teenage Kicks”; a line from which the legendary DJ John Peel included as an epitaph on his grave.

Now living in London with his wife and children, the 63-year-old has stepped back from the music business, having received an OBE for his services to the industry in 2019. Far from a quiet retirement, however, the memory of his embattled Catholic upbringing is never far from Sharkey’s mind – and he has since become one of the UK’s most vocal campaigners for a different kind of underdog: the environment.

When we met last week at the Amwell Magna fishery in Hertfordshire, Sharkey’s disarming turns of phrase were in full flow. The scene at the country’s oldest fly-fishing club appeared bucolic: geese tended their chicks on riverbanks covered in forget-me-nots and weeping willows; but it is also a landscape of sex, death and Darwinian struggle, the lyricist reminded me. “All you get is a bit of a shag, then you’re dead,” he quipped of the darting, short-lived mayflies.

PHOTO CREDIT: Hanna-Katrina Jędrosz

He is equally direct about the wider fate of Britain’s rivers: “The simple truth is water companies have been profiteering at the expense of the environment,” he said with the fervour of a hardened activist.

There is even a parallel, Sharkey believes, in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s cavalier approach to Northern Ireland post-Brexit and the perilous state of Britain’s rivers – with unscrupulous politicians failing to prioritise long-term well-being over “parochial politics” and immediate political gain. “When the boss thinks he can stand up in public and lie,” Sharkey said, “what do you think the rest of the middle management has been doing?”

According to the water industry regulator Ofwat, water companies have stemmed water losses and kept bills low, while delivering “excellent quality drinking water and bathing water”. Yet such self-congratulation doesn’t add up: in 2020 the UK was ranked last in Europe for bathing water quality, with rivers across the country home to dangerous amounts of chemicals and sewage.

This is partly due to the UK’s outdated sewer system, partly driven by run-off from agricultural fields and partly because water companies routinely release raw sewage into waterways, said Sharkey. Just 14 per cent of English rivers are in good ecological condition, show official figures, and none are of good chemical status. This has profound consequences for Britain’s already depleted biodiversity, with more than a tenth of UK freshwater and wetland species threatened with extinction, from water voles to kingfishers.

There is a growing movement calling for water management reform – ranging from national organisations such as Surfers Against Sewage to local campaigns. Amie Battams, a young urban fly-fisher and YouTuber, who Sharkey was hosting at the Amwell club on the day we met, often tweets about the sewage she witnesses being pumped into London’s River Wandle in an attempt to safeguard her beloved chalk stream.

In terms of policy goals, Sharkey and his fellow travellers would like to see “a piece of legislation making every single director of those water companies personally liable”; a better system to measure the volume of dumped sewage; and, added Ali Morse of the Wildlife Trusts, an overarching target on the health of our waters under the Environment Act.

There are signs of progress. In response to recommendations in a recent Environmental Audit Committee report, the government and Ofwat have accepted the need to prioritise long-term investment in the sewer network and nature-based solutions, paving the way for an upgrade to England’s crumbling Victorian infrastructure.

“At the end of the day, all people actually want from their f***ing politicians is hope,” summed up the “Teenage Kicks” singer, now a father of teenagers himself. “Hope that tomorrow will be a bit better than today”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Richard Saker/The Guardian

I am going to wrap things up with an interview from The Guardian. In Feargal Sharkey, here is someone whose passion and huge electricity fuelled The Undertones and made them such a phenomenal act, is now using that voice to make people aware of what water companies are doing. Or not doing. What our Government is or is not doing. In this interview, we learn more about his upbringing and when the fuse for activism was lit. His parents’ example of fighting against social injustice was instilled in Sharkey:

“In the past week, that anger found a new focus in the latest toothless “action plan” delivered by environment minister Thérèse Coffey. After a couple of days spent eviscerating that muddled speech to all-comers, Sharkey, when I meet him in central London on Thursday evening, is at peak flow. “This is the third water plan in six months! Coffey announced on Tuesday a £1.6bn investment. Does that overturn the £3.1bn her predecessor announced last August? Or the billions Michael Gove announced in 2018? It is,” he says, “just kids in a panic realising too late they are going get a hammering on this at the local elections, and again grasping at any straw.”

Listening to Sharkey, it is tempting to think that, at 64, he still channels his punk edge. In fact, he says, it goes back a bit further than that.

He grew up in a Catholic family in Derry, the second youngest of eight kids. His father was chairman of the local Labour party and branch secretary of the electricians’ union. “The lesson that my parents instilled in us was if we saw social injustice, we had a bloody obligation to confront it,” he says, “and what bigger injustice is there than that every single river in this country is polluted? And all to drive the shareholder dividends of the water companies?”

Sharkey’s first experience of protest came in April 1969 when his mother bundled the kids into the car to take part in an Easter civil rights march, walking between Belfast and Dublin. He would have been 10.

“There is a temptation to romanticise some of that stuff,” he says, “but it is true that frequently in my parents’ kitchen the locals all sat around discussing how they were going to bring down the national government of Northern Ireland. And in the years that followed, I watched them do exactly that. I grew up knowing that things change when you get enough decent people saying we have had enough.”

Sharkey’s awakening to the injustice of river pollution came seven years ago when he became chairman of the Amwell Magna fishery on the River Lea in London. He imagined it might be a retirement hobby, indulging a passion for fly-fishing at the oldest club in the country, on a stretch of river that Izaak Walton fished for trout 400 years ago. That’s not how it turned out.

“As part of the handover, my predecessor explained to me issues with the Environment Agency (EA) and Thames Water going back to the late 1990s,” he says. “Water was disappearing from the river from over-extraction to such an extent that it was turning into two-and-a-half miles of stagnant pond.”

Though the cause of the problem had been identified in 2003, the EA had commissioned further studies and reports without taking decisive action against Thames Water. “Meanwhile, the river was dying.”

After he gave up performing in 1991, Sharkey had worked in executive roles in the music industry. “In that world you don’t have 15 years to sit around debating something,” he says. “You better get your sorry ass together, come up with a plan, and deliver it on time and under budget.”

Working with a group called Fish Legal, he compelled the EA to fulfil its obligation to protect water quality. “My plan was not to stand on the steps of the high court,” he says, “but to bang furiously on the door. As a result, we got our problem fixed really quickly. And I’m pleased to report that there’s now more water going through the Amwell Magna fishery than there has been for decades”.

On 13th August, we will all wish Feargal Sharkey a very happy sixty-fifth birthday. Not just for his fight against pollution and the decimation of our rivers, waterways and coasts, but for his incredible music and its legacy. The news is very shocking. Images of sewage being dumped straight into the water, and the unbelievable loss to the fish and wildlife who rely on clean water. In 1985, he sang about good hearts being hard to find – treating gentle and kind hearts with care. The lionhearted Feargal Sharkey is fighting for us and future generations. For that, we all owe a salute and thanks to…

AN icon and legend.

FEATURE: For Those at the Back: Why The Trouble Club Has Had a Hugely Positive Influence on Me

FEATURE:

 

 

For Those at the Back

IMAGE CREDIT: The Trouble Club

Why The Trouble Club Has Had a Hugely Positive Influence on Me

_________

ONE am aspect of my writing…

 IMAGE CREDIT: The Trouble Club

is its feminism. I am not strictly a ‘feminist journalist’ (as I fear it could be perceived as me wanting to feel special or like it is a bigger deal if a man is a feminist journalist) - even if I do think that it is vitally important for more men in the music world and men to vocally and creatively join in discussions and change. One aspect of my website is that I do concentrate on female artists and often discuss themes around gender equality, women’s rights, and darker an urgent issues like the continued cases of sexual assault, harassment in the industry. From discrimination to imbalance at festivals, I am always eager to help add to the conversation around issues concerning women. On social media, I see so many posts from women in the industry. In 2023, we are still in a position where there is a massive divide between men and women in terms of opportunities and acclaim. Women are – and have been for years! – producing the best music around. They are not being rewarded with festival slots and headline opportunities. I often hear some distressing stories about women being sexually harassed, bullied or in receipt of such toxic abuse. Most of this, unsurprisingly, is from men. I do as much research as I can when it comes to features. It is important to have facts and words from others whilst also adding my own impressions and thoughts. I am not a musician myself, though I can write lyrics and music (to a basic degree). I often think, whilst we are seeing many women in the industry raise concerns and highlight how there is inequality and issues, not many men are joining them. They have literal platforms and stages where they can raise their voices and show their anger at the continued ways in which the industry overlooks and hinders them. I thought of a song, For Those in the Back Rows, which is about gender inequality and women being under-represented at festivals and on radio playlist. You do not see many men writing songs about women’s rights and calling for equality!

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Anyway…this is a bit of an introduction and preamble to the main point of this feature: discussing why The Trouble Club has been so important to me since I joined. You can connect with them via Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and their YouTube channel. In terms of context, here is what The Trouble Club is about:

“You were looking for Trouble, and now you've found us.

Welcome to a rather special members' club: we are here to enliven your mind, to expand your circle of friends, and to build a society of smart and engaged people who share the same interests.

We have a rich programme of talks, debates, dinners, private evenings out at cultural openings and foreign jaunts. We work with some of the finest venues in London - currently The Groucho Club in Soho and Mortimer House in Fitzrovia. For what's on, see our schedule.

A bit of history: Trouble first started in 2014 running pop-ups club and evenings in and around Soho. We've had evenings on everything from politics and economics to art, film, gaming and sex, and also drunk a fair amount of gin. There have now been several thousand people through our various doors, many of whom have become friends, done business together and keep nagging us to do more events.

There's a few things you should know about Trouble. It is led by women, founded by Joy Lo Dico, moonlighting from her day job as a freelancer for the Financial Times and broadcaster at Monocle as well as speaking and presenting. Its mission is to get great women speakers on stage and to build the bonds across the group.

You are probably by now asking how to join? We pride ourselves on being an inclusive, rather than exclusive, club. Whatever walk of life you come from, you are welcome to apply. Men are also absolutely welcome - indeed we'd love to have you share in this goal. Just be aware you might be outnumbered”.

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Groucho Marx said he would not want to be a member of any club who would have him as a member – making his first name quite appropriate and his surname quite ironic, as he has a club named after him. I think clubs or societies are incredible things. It is not about elitism and excluding others. In fact, it is about inclusion, discussion, community and togetherness. I joined, aside from being messaged a while ago suggesting I might be a good fit, because I still think the music industry is a bit of a boys’ club – certainly in terms of the power dynamics and the fact most influence lies in the hands of men. I am going to end with a thought and angle: whether there are many male music journalists who are proactive feminists – in terms of them being feminist, though also writing issues around women and activating their thoughts. I am going to go on a slight diversion before getting to the crux and core of this piece. There are important podcasts out there like The Story of Woman, for anyone who wants to engage more with discussion and themes about the world seen through the female gaze. It is clear that, in all areas of society, women are still hugely underappreciated, discriminated against and ignored! I have been moved and inspired by Hollywood’s #MeToo movement. There are activists and women leading campaigns and organisations that look to make the industry safer, fairer and more inclusive when it comes to women. Those demanding change and progression.

@thetroubleclub Poorna Bell on cutting friendships that no longer serve! #troubleclub #shorts #membersclub #womenempowerment #friendships ♬ original sound - The Trouble Club

Again, there are not many men adding their voices to the debate – but more on that later. The incredible Eleanor Newton is the Director of The Trouble Club. She also hosts most of the discussions/events that take place. She is a brilliant interviewer, too. Able to get so much fascinating insights and revelations. A nod too to Francesca Edmondson, who is the Marketing & Events Coordinator. Her role and work is crucial when it comes to staging The Trouble Club’s events. Basically, around various London venues, amazing women from various fields and walks of life talk about different things. They may be talking about their book; a politician or activist discussing deep and important issues. It is an inspiring club to be a member of. I would encourage anyone who has an interest in what The Trouble Club are about to apply for membership. They host great events for very reasonable (ticket) prices. They are at wonderful locations. There is always this amazing atmosphere. You come away more informed, enlightened and moved. I have not been a member long, though I did attend, on 16th May, She’s in CTRL with Computer Scientist Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon. it is a book about women wresting back control of tech. How to do that; the challenges that might be in place. The problem of women being under-represented in tech. Decisions being made by a small group of people, mainly men. On 25th, I was at Mortimer House in attendance when award-winning author Holly Smale on Neurodiversity and The Cassandra Complex. As someone who has neurodivergence and struggles a lot in various settings and situations, it was not only illuminating and comforting hearing Smale discuss living with neurodivergence and her wonderful book, The Cassandra Complex. Many members of the audience also were neurodivergence – with someone in the Q&A at the end positing the fact that most people are neurodivergent.

Many see neurodivergence as abnormal. It is misunderstood and not embraced or discussed enough. Holly Smale’s experiences and tribulations resonated with me – especially when it came to the subject of dating (being a single man who finds it hard to find someone like-minded) and interacting with others. I also attended Sophie Haydock on The Flames. She talked about Egon Schiele, a world-renowned painter, whose work was praised and noted for its intensity and raw sexuality. His story is told and explored, but the women in his art whose bodies were shown in intimate detail, were forgotten. Haydock centred her book on the women in Schiele’s artwork. It compelled me because, as a music journalist, you do not often hear the women in songs – horribly and archaically called ‘muses’ – spotlighted and discussed. In a wider sense, many women in music are ignored in favour of men. It made me think about the industry in a different way. The brilliant Poorna Bell was hosted by The Trouble Club on 28th June. She talked about her debut novel, In Case of Emergency. Bell is an award-winning journalist and author of more than twenty years, former Executive Editor and Global Lifestyle Head for HuffPost. She won Stylist's Rising Star award for 2019, Red magazine's Big Book Award for 2019 and a Sunday Times Sports Books Award last year. I was very moved and stunned by her talk! Her book is amazing too. I can see her releasing so many more acclaimed novels. She is a wonderful and vital mental health advocate and inspiring person who many were entranced by when she spoke at the Trouble Club event.

Whilst I did not go to the I KILLED MY EX x Q&A with Emilie Biason, I did go and see the play in London at the Rosemary Branch Theatre the night after its opening. Biason is a wonderful talent and inspiring person. She discussed the female-empowerment behind the show. I have other events at The Trouble Club to look forward to. Included are Vogue's Annie Lord & Actress Rebecca Humphries on Love, Heartbreak & Toxic Relationships on 16th August, and tonight’s (9th August) A Celebration of Black Womanhood with Catherine Joy White. The most recent event I attended was Gina Martin and Charlie Craggs discussing Martin’s phenomenal and must-read book, “No Offence, But…”. Martin’s book tackles “…20 of the most enduring conversation stoppers, the new collection by Gina Martin, No Offence, But… equips readers with the knowledge, tools, and context to respond with confidence. Today two of the book's contributors, Aja Barber and Ben Hurst, join acclaimed gender equality campaigner, speaker, and writer Gina in an event that helps us unpick frustrating phrases, understand why they are harmful, and feel empowered to change the conversation”. A gender equality campaigner, speaker and writer whose work focuses on gender, misogyny and sexual violence. Martin is the ambassador for UNWomen UK and Beyond Equality. This was a jam-packed event at The Trouble Club where I learned so much. I am reading her book at the moment. So much of it can be applied to the music industry.

So why mention these events? Well, for one, events like the one with Gina Martin and Charlie Craggs were so emotional, often very funny, and thought-provoking. I can apply much of what I heard – and what I read in the book – to my journalistic work. The same goes for all the other events. Not only am I become more awoken and informed as a feminist. So much of what I have already heard and seen at The Trouble Club has gone into my features. A lot that is relevant to the music industry. Despite the fact I am sometimes the only man in attendance at events (and outnumbered by women) is not intimidating or strange. It is natural that women are the prime and majority audience in a club where the focus is on women and their stories. There are events where one or two (or slightly more) men might be in attendance, yet it is a majority of women. It is wonderful, though for any men wondering whether they should apply for membership or follow The Trouble Club, I would say that it is one of the warmest, most inclusive and welcoming spaces I have been in! As Holly Smale might also be in the same position; I do find social events sometimes stressful and alienating. That is not the case here. In addition to talks, The Trouble Club also host social events like picnics and coffee mornings. Slam poetry, and book clubs – in fact, the inaugural book club meeting happened last night: Trouble Book Club: Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield. I will definitely go to the next book club meeting. A big thanks to Ellie, Francesca, and everyone at The Trouble Club for creating such an inspiring (a word I use a lot, but it seems appropriate) and varied calendar of events. The Trouble Club is definitely, to contradict Groucho Marx, one that I am very pleased and proud to be a member of!

In addition to highlighting them, I can apply it to music. I shall come to that. I am also an avid (or wannabe) screenwriter - especially the comedy genre. I, like millions, have been captivated by Barbie and the incredible work by its director and co-writer Greta Gerwig. The film inspired so much conversation around feminism. I am a massive Gerwig admirer and she, with her partner Noah Baumbach, created one of the best comedies in many years. It is such important film that will be discussed for years. Gerwig became the first solo female director to make $1bn at the box office. I think the film will be nominated for several Oscars (including Best Director for Gerwig). I wonder whether The Trouble Club will invite women in film to one of their events. I have suggested Margot Robbie (one of Barbie’s stars) would be a great speaker. Greta Gerwig too! Maybe their fees might be a bit high. Although the power and tidal wave that Barbie has created, tied to my experiences with The Trouble Club, have made me think more about incredible women in film. I am a music journalist, so I wanted to end with a theory or suggestion. As I have found out where reading Gina Martin’s “No Offence, But…”, there are plenty of men who are feminists. Wanting a fairer society and equality for women. Wanting to see change and progression happen. That is feminism. I think there is an assumption that most men aren’t feminists. They might not say the word themselves but, if they are among those who want a just and fair society where they want political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes, it is the case they are feminists.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Poorna Bell/PHOTO CREDIT: Poorna Bell

In music, there are artists and journalists who are feminist. By definition if not vocalisation. I said how many musicians have stages and opportunities where they can talk about feminism, inequality in music and the need for change. You find most feminist music journalists are women. I asked the question on the then-Twitter a while ago: if there are any male feminist journalists. I wanted to read their work and interview them. I did not get much response! In fact, those who did reply said that they highlighted great songs and albums by women. I was thinking more about those who write articles relating to feminism and equality. It is important supporting female musicians’ work. My question was around active and sustained features around equality and issues affecting women in music. There are not many out there. Maybe Robin Murray at Clash. Is someone who does fit into that. Perhaps also Drowned in Sound’s Sean Adams. The fact that the Google question and search term does not yield clear results. If you look for ‘feminist male music journalists’, you do not really get anything. The vast majority of article written around women’s rights, discrimination and sexism are from women. It does feel a bit strange that I might be one of a very small number of male music journalists who are writing about equality and sexism. Maybe some would see it more as a duty than feminism - which makes the fact that it is largely women writing about this quite weird and galling. I do think that male music journalists, like artists, need to use their voice and websites to write about sexual harassment and discrimination.

IMAGE CREDIT: The Trouble Club

To highlight all the brilliant women in music, and also call for parity and equality. That is why I think that The Trouble Club is so awesome and relevant. I have learned and taken so much from the events I have been at! Making me thinking more widely, deeply and more critically about many of the problems in the industry. From Gina Martin and Charlie Craggs discussing their experiences, which have gone into features I have written about sexual assaults and the safety of women, to Holly Smale’s The Cassandra Complex being a jumping-off point for another feature. Poona Bel’s words resonating in different ways also have compelled me. I do think that the Trouble Club would consider/welcome any men in music that want to hear stories and talks from amazing women. That would motivate them more and reframe and redefine women’s roles and importance in music. I have already seen the benefits of being in such esteemed and welcoming company. With every connection I make at The Trouble Club, there is a connection of a connection that provides this new opportunity for learning and enrichment. That is one of the big draws of being in the company of inspiring and powerful women. The more I learn and discover something important regarding feminism and my understanding of women’s experiences in the world, the more rounded and better it makes me as a human. That is why I would encourage everyone - not just men - to either apply for membership of The Trouble Club, or at least follow them on social media, visit their website, and see what I mean. From a personal motivation standpoint, I do hope that more men in the music industry will seek out and be inspired by The Trouble Club, so they can not only better understanding and contextualise women’s strengths and struggles in the industry, but also take action and become more incentivised to write about it in an educated and nuanced way. I go away from each event enriched, informed and moved. It is a wonderful club that has…

MADE a huge difference in my life.

FEATURE: Sleep to Dream: August 1980: The Initial Seeds of Kate Bush’s Fourth Studio Album

FEATURE:

 

 

Sleep to Dream

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Aris

August 1980: The Initial Seeds of Kate Bush’s Fourth Studio Album

_________

WHEN you think about it….

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush pictured at the British Rock and Pop Awards at the Café Royal, London on 26th February, 1980 (where Bush won for Best Female Singer)/PHOTO CREDIT: Mirrorpix/Getty Images

Kate Bush was often working on a new album when she was still promoting another one. That was the case with The Klick Inside and Lionheart. That time in 1978 when she was talking about her debut, but she was writing and recording her sophomore release. There was definitely some crossover in 1980. I was not aware of this before, yet August 1980 was quite an important month. It would be a very busy time for her. The following month – September 1980 -, Bush would undertake a heavy promotional schedule for her third album, Never for Ever. I think her taking on production duties (she and Andrew Powell, who was the producer on her first two albums, parted ways; she would produce Never for Ever with Jon Kelly) meant that she was determined to promote her albums heavily but effectively. I think she was thrown far and wide for the first two. It seems like the promotional experience for Never for Ever was a bit smoother and less chaotic. Even so, from September 1980, Bush was diving into making sure people knew about Never for Ever. The seeds of The Dreaming were planted in August 1980. It must have been a strange headspace starting to think about an experimental and dense album. Never for Ever is terrific, but it sounds completely different to The Dreaming. This was such a fertile period for Bush. I will talk about it later this month, because Never for Ever came out in September 1980.

Its second single, Babooshka, was out in June of that year. The excellent video could not be played, as there was a strike at the BBC. Even so, it was her most successful single since Wuthering Heights. It got to number five in the U.K. It actually got to number two in Australia! A slight tangent but, seeing the single do so well in Australia, I wonder whether The Dreaming’s title track – about indigenous Australians being displaced and seeing their land destroyed – was a love letter and thanks to the country?! Anyway, August 1980 was a pivotal moment. After Babooshka was released and there was a bit of a blow with the video not getting shown widely, it was an opportunity for some downtime. With a few weeks rest under her belt, that gave her a little bit of time to freshen and decompress. The promotional juggernaut for Never for Ever would continue, but she did get a bit of time to step away and get some much-needed rest. I wonder what the first ideas for The Dreaming were. We know that the first single, Sat in Your Lap, was released in June 1981. Perhaps the inspiration for that song was a little later. Bush said, of that track, that she already had the piano patterns, but they didn't turn into a song until the night after she saw Stevie Wonder in concert. Inspired by the feeling of his music, she set a rhythm on the Roland and worked in the piano riff to the high-hat and snare.

Bush had the verse and tune to work on. I know that Stevie Wonder played Wembley Arena on 7th September, 1980. Looking back, maybe 8th September was when Bush’s mind sparked and she finished Sat in Your Lap. That date, 8th September, 1980 is when Never for Ever was released. It is fascinating. Bush was having writer’s block and a bit of a hard time coming up with much inspiration until Sat in Your Lap was revealed and written. August 1980 was one where Bush was still involved with Never for Ever and was gearing up to release it into the world. Babooshka was just about fading from public consciousness. it would be September 1980 when she released the final single from the album, Army Dreamers. I wonder what compelled her to begin work on her fourth studio album before she released her third. Forty-three years ago, aged twenty-two, Bush was about to jot down ideas and thoughts that started the process that ended with the release of The Dreaming in September 1982. It is amazing that she was involved with that album for two years. Considering how full and complex it is, she must have been truly exhausted by the end! Knowing that she wanted to produce on her own, I guess that influenced how she wrote. If Sat in Your Lap took a jolt of Stevie Wonder’s magic and genius to get it to where it needed to be, she was at least committed to stepping into new sonic territory and taking big risks.

Thanks to this excellent website for giving me the idea for this feature. I may well return to it time to time, as it chronicles events in Bush’s career that are worth noting. I wanted something August-related and I came across this interesting crossover in 1980. I wonder if anyone knows the answer as to which song was the first she sketched for The Dreaming? If September 1980 is when Sat in Your Lap was finished, was it started the month before?! Tracing the origins of an album’s beginning is really interesting. August 1980 was a bridge between promotion and the release of Babooshka and that rest period; September 1980 saw Bush heavily immersed in Never for Ever. On 11th September, 1980, the album is played and presented at a huge party for dealers in Brimingham. Bush is busy with personal appearances. She takes in, among other cities, Newcastle and Manchester (where she is reported to have kissed more than six-hundred fans!). When was signing in London, there was a one-hundred-meter queue snaking down Oxford Street. On 16th September, Never for Ever reached number one – making Bush the first solo British female artist to hit number one on the British chart. Bush travels to Germany. There, she performs a wonderfully odd version of Army Dreamers. Bush also performed in France in September 1980.

She also performed a solo version of Babooshka on the show (RockPop). She then is in Italy. Before too long, she was back in England to film the video for Army Dreamers. The website I am referencing says that Bush saw Stevie Wonder play at the end of September, where she then kept working on Sat in Your Lap. I am not sure whether he was in the country then, as this website shows that he was performing in the U.K. at the start of September 1980. This website goes into more detail. In any case, from September 1980, Bush was frantic and living with Never for Ever but thinking about The Dreaming. that crossover started in August 1980. I was intrigued thinking what her initial notes were and which song was in her mind. The Dreaming is such a different beast to Never for Ever. Maybe something happened in August 1980 that got her thinking in a different way. Maybe it was a natural step and progression. July 1980 was a pretty eventful one in terms of British politics and society. The death of Peter Sellers, the gutting of Alexandra Palace (in London), miners threatening to strike, unemployment being at a high, areas of the country suffering deindustrialisation. Maybe this all contributed and affected Kate Bush. What we do know is that forty-three years ago, a young Kate Bush was beginning to work on The Dreaming.  That two-year process resulted in…

ONE of her very best albums.

FEATURE: Perfect Imperfections: The Wonderful and Future Icon Olivia Dean

FEATURE:

 

 

Perfect Imperfections

PHOTO CREDIT: Petros

The Wonderful and Future Icon Olivia Dean

_________

I am returning to an artist…

PHOTO CREDIT: Press

who I discovered back in 2021. I wrote about the phenomenal Olivia Dean back then. She released the brilliant E.P., Growth, that year. Since then, she has put out some truly incredible music and continued to build her fanbase. I am going to drop in as much music as I can. One reason why I am coming back to her is that her debut album, Messy, came out in June. That has been nominated for a Mercury Prize. Dean spoke with NME and discussed how it feels having her debut shortlisted. She also co-wrote the England Women’s World Cup anthem, Call Me a Lioness. You can follow Olivia Dean and connect on social media. She is a tremendous live performer so, if you get a chance to go and see her play, then please do. The London-born artist – who is quite hard to pin in terms of genre; giving her music that fluidity, yet it is full of identity and definition - was named Amazon Music's 2021 breakthrough artist of the year. Dean grew up in Walthamstow and took musical theatre lessons. She was also a member of a gospel choir from a young age. She then attended the BRIT School. Citing influences such as Ms. Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse, Carole King, and The Supremes, here is someone who loves classic and iconic voices, but she very much has her own vibe and sound. You do feel that Olivia Dean can ascend the same sort of heights as Amy Winehouse and headline a festival like Glastonbury – which is something that she already has set in her sights.

There has been a lot of attention and excitement around Messy. One of the best debut albums of the year, I have been looking at interviews where she discussed her album, in addition to her upbringing and music tips. Ones to Watch spoke with her earlier in the year. If you do not already know Olivia Dean or her music, then do spend some time getting acquainted with one of our best young artists:

“What is Messy all about?

Messy is an album about learning to fall in love again, the fear that comes with it, and finding independence within that still. It’s about being grateful for where you came from and accepting life’s imperfections.

How’d you settle on the album cover art; it's so dynamic and unconventional.

Funny story! We actually did a whole shoot with a completely different concept but I didn’t feel like any of the images represented the feeling of the record. I kept coming back to this image from a shoot I’d done a while ago with an amazing photographer Petros. I love how it felt blurred and candid, I knew the album just needed to be an image of my face. Me at 24! So we went back to this image and I’m so glad. I love this cover. I love the purple too. It’s a very powerful and comforting colour for me.

Any collaborations when writing the record? Who produced the album?

I worked with some amazing songwriters on this album. I’m not someone who is afraid of collaboration but I can only write good things with people I trust and know very well. Matt Hales produced and co-wrote a lot of the album with me. We wrote "Slowly" together on my last project Growth and that is one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written. I wrote "The Hardest Part" and "Dive" with Bastian Langebaek and Max Wolfgang. they are brilliant and we have so much fun working together, those songs have been so important in shaping the whole record.

PHOTO CREDIT: Petros

How do you feel your sound has evolved or changed since your first single?

I feel like this is the most refined my sound has been. I wasn’t worried about the album’s genre too much, as maybe I have been in the past. I think I sound free!

Can we expect more of this style in the future? Or is this just a step into further evolution?

I think anything is possible for me sound-wise in the future. There really are no rules with music, so I hope my next album will just be a reflection of what I’m enjoying during that chapter of my life. I never want to be in a box, musically.

Besides this excellent album, what else should we be on the lookout for?

Gigs and lots of them! I want to tour this album as far and wide as possible and bring the music to all the humans that want to hear it.

What's inspiring you right now outside of music?

Knitting, yoga, cooking and cycling are my favourite things to do outside of music. All require your full attention and are very therapeutic activities for me.

Food best paired when listening to Messy?

Good question! I think a roast dinner and a pint of red stripe. With Mac and cheese on the side. The Caribbean way!

Who are your Ones To Watch?

I’m really bad at listening to new music. I’m quite an old soul. But I’m loving Billie Marten’s new album and King Krule’s too!”.

The debut album was a long time coming. Prior to its release, Dean has built this incredible and loyal fanbase with her E.P.s. 2019’s Ok Love You Bye was followed by What Am I Gonna Do On Sundays?. Then came 2021’s Growth. I will get to a couple of reviews for the stunning Messy. I want to bring in a recent interview from NME. Naming Dean as one of the most emotionally astute – yet underrated – artists around, it is interesting discovering more about her acclaimed debut album:

“Making an album has been something I’ve been working towards, and had an idea of what it would be like, for my whole life,” says Dean. “I’ve known I wanted to be a singer since I was eight.”

The London-born artist grew up on a eclectic diet of music that her parents played in the house, with Sam Cooke, Steely Dan and Destiny’s Child all making an appearance. Attending the prestigious BRIT School (alumni includes Adele and Amy Winehouse) for four years, Dean started writing her own songs at 16. It was then she realised that she didn’t love the musical theatre she was doing the way her peers loved it, instead choosing to pivot into making her own material and teaching herself guitar and piano. She bagged a manager the following year, and later signed to EMI.

For ‘Messy’, Dean teamed up with musician and producer Matt Hales, who she knew would be the perfect co-pilot for the record after they worked together on ‘Growth’ track ‘Slowly’. The early days of creating the album saw some reservations. “I felt so bogged down by what I was supposed to make, whether that be because of the way that I look,” she explains. “I really struggled with that for a while thinking it needs to be this really, like, ‘urban cool’ thing, but wondering, ‘Is that me? Or do I just love singer-songwriter indie music, can I make that? But I also like Motown?” She sums it up frankly: “I was like: ‘I don’t know what I’m supposed to make”.

There was also the conflict of having released a project called ‘Growth’ prior to ‘Messy’, with Dean initially thinking that her debut album would therefore have to see her “have reached a conclusion and be like, ‘I’ve grown and now I’m…’” she says, extending the delivery of her final word. “Then I realised I’m still growing. I don’t know who I am sometimes, I’m a bit of a mess. That’s why ‘Messy’ is just the perfect title because it’s about accepting imperfection and finding the beauty in it,” she says.

For Dean, the name ‘Messy’ also feels sonically fitting “because it’s just that”. It’s an album that places Dean among peers like RAYE or Holly Humberstone, artists who aren’t guided by traditional genre constraints and are unafraid to share their own vulnerabilities. “I don’t think that anyone is supposed to make any kind of music, you should just make what sounds good to you,” Dean says. “It took me a while to figure that out; but once I did, it was just clear and fun. And the album was just a joy to make.”

She also received advice from pal Loyle Carner, whose track ‘Homerton’ she featured on last year. “I’ve had a couple conversations with him and [British producer and artist] Kwes who was making the record [Carner’s 2022 album ‘Hugo’] while I was making mine, and I definitely learned to just make exactly what you want to make,” Dean says. “They said, ‘You know what you want to do, just listen to yourself’. It sounds cliche, but it’s really easy to forget sometimes.”

Inspired by the likes of Bill Withers, Mac Miller‘s ‘Swimming’, Alice Phoebe Lou and Clairo, ‘Messy’ follows suit from Dean’s previous projects. Her gorgeous vocals, delivering the heart-on-her-sleeve lyrics that fans have come to love, are run over varied indie-pop sounds, all with a soulful edge.

The ethereal ‘UFO’ fuses a Nick Drake-style guitar with vocoded vocals with honest couplets: “I can’t hold your hand / With my fingers crossed”. ‘Danger’ boasts elements of rock and bossa nova, while ‘Ladies Room’ – a celebration of the girl’s bathroom, where “you go in there and share stuff, it’s so alive” – is unadulterated “pure joy”, says Dean”.

The final interview I am bringing in is from Rolling Stone. Interviewing her on 30th June (the day Messy came out), Olivia Dean said how she liked imperfections – some might say that her music is perfect. Here is a very authentic and relatable artist:

“Speaking to Rolling Stone UK while on a residential writing trip with fellow BRIT School graduate Rachel Chinouriri, Dean definitely has plenty to celebrate. In May, she completed her biggest-ever tour of the UK and Europe, playing to more than 10,000 fans in total. The week before, she was announced as one of the headliners of Somerset House’s Summer Series, with her show going on to be the first to sell out. Most excitingly, just 24 hours before we speak, she announced her long-awaited debut album, Messy, which arrives today (June 30).

Written and recorded with Lianne La Havas-collaborator Matt Hales, the 12-track collection looks set to cement the south London-based star’s reputation as one of the UK’s brightest young voices — not to mention surprise a few people with the scope of her vision. Informed by influences as diverse as Clairo, Carole King and Mac Miller, the songwriting on display extends from the pared-back piano balladry of ‘Everybody’s Crazy’ to the more maximalist, Motown shimmer of ‘Dive’, via the tender, steel pan-dappled grooves of ‘Carmen’.

Dean baulks at the idea that the album’s variety could be viewed in any way as a talking point. “I really struggle with the idea [that] I’m supposed to make one kind of music,” she shrugs. “For me, there are no rules. And at the end of the day, I’m gonna make what I want to make because I’m too stubborn to be told to make anything else.”

By her own admission, Dean has always been single-minded. Born and raised in Walthamstow, she knew she wanted to be a singer by the age of eight, after watching the success of her cousin — the rapper and actor Ashley Walters — from afar. Her parents further nurtured her love of music, introducing her to a broad range of artists, from Jill Scott to Joni Mitchell, enrolling her in musical theatre classes and tracking down a second-hand piano so she could start songwriting.

At 14, Dean won a place at The BRIT School, an achievement testament not just to her talent, but to the ambition and tenacity instilled in her by her mum, a lawyer and member of the Women’s Equality Party. “She was always like, ‘You can do whatever you want to do,’” Dean recalls proudly. “And I think that’s a really important message for a child. So I’ve always thought that if I want to do something and I just keep saying I’m going to do it, then I can just do it. I don’t know if that’s delusional, but I guess you have to be a bit delusional sometimes to get things done.”

During her first two years at BRIT, Dean studied musical theatre, before joining Rex Orange County, Black Midi and Raye on the music strand for the second half of her studies. At her final showcase, Dean was approached by her now-manager, who put her forward to audition as a backing siner for Rudimental. She was amazed to get the job.

PHOTO CREDIT: Press

“The first show we did was at Sziget Festival in Budapest in front of around 16,000 people,” she recalls, still in disbelief. “Like, I had literally just come out of college and I was doing all these crazy shows and getting this invaluable performance experience. But I don’t think I have the skill of a backing singer, so that was never going to be my final destination.”

Following the tour, she was accepted to study popular music at Goldsmiths, but quit after three weeks, worried that analysing the technicalities of songwriting would cause her to second-guess her own creative instincts. “I think it was a good choice,” she says, adding with a laugh, “Even if I do still have to pay off my student loan.”

Dean remains in south London and continues to immerse herself in the local creative scene, attending jazz nights by Steam Down in Deptford as well as Raw Eggs, a monthly event with participants showcasing everything from film to stand-up comedy and clowning. Today, she lights up when discussing her love of live performance.

“I’m like a live music sponge, I think it’s just the best thing ever. To have everybody in the room, all coming from their separate lives, and then joining together in this crazy shared experience, singing, dancing, crying… It’s 100 per cent my favourite thing.”

Dean’s profile has grown exponentially over the past five years, with the release of EPs Ok Love You Bye (2019), What Am I Gonna Do on Sundays (2020) and Growth (2021). Indeed, when it came to writing Messy, Growth initially proved something of a millstone around Dean’s neck. “Starting this album, I was like, ‘Well, the last EP was called Growth, so this album needs to be about what I’ve grown into.’ And I was like, ‘I actually don’t know what that is?’ But once I removed the pressure of having to be at my destination it was OK. This album is me saying, ‘This is where I’m at now: kind of a mess but loving it.’”

Messy was written over a period of 18 months, and recorded in just two weeks in October 2022, at The Pool Recording Studio near Elephant and Castle. It was important to Dean to record in her hometown, so as to provide an accurate snapshot of her identity as an artist.

Authenticity has always been a watchword in Dean’s songwriting, which sees her relaying real stories in a conversational tone rather than couched in metaphors or symbolism. This preference for naturalism over abstraction extends to her musical approach too, as she explains.

“I get frustrated with music that feels overly saturated or autotuned or calculated. And when I wrote the song ‘Messy’, it became obvious to me that I really enjoy imperfection. I think it makes things more interesting”.

I will finish with a couple of reviews. Messy won a lot of praise when it was released. I think that it can sit alongside the best of the year. This is what NME noted when they spend time with a gorgeous and hugely memorable debut album - one from an artist who is going to have a very long future in the industry:

“Messy’ has the intoxicating promise of a summer’s evening. Olivia Dean’s debut album lives in a state of suspended animation, enthusiastic about what lies ahead while fully living in and absorbing the moment: she sings of romantic and familial relationships with a gentle touch, as though she’s contemplating her thoughts while standing beneath a beam of sunlight.

The matter of hope is central to ‘Messy’, a light, nimble and fresh-faced collection of sprawling soul-pop tunes that illustrate the importance of perseverance amid personal upheaval. In 2021, Dean, a 24-year-old songwriter from north London, finally caught her break with her ‘Growth’ EP. The five-track effort was a runaway success; after racking up streaming numbers in the millions, the BRIT School graduate would go on to perform at Glastonbury, tour with Loyle Carner and collaborate with soul superstar Leon Bridges.

What makes Dean markedly different from her peers, however, is that she has the confidence to occasionally dissect subjects that others swerve, all while appealing to a mainstream audience. Album standout ‘Carmen’ simultaneously works as a love letter to her Guyana-born grandmother, as well as shining a light on the hardship that was caused to those affected by the Windrush scandal. She continues to prove that there’s more to her writing than optimism; ‘Messy’ gives her space to examine her own frustrations: “Why can’t you be better for me?”, she pleads with an ex on ‘No Man’.

Elsewhere, the album is cozy and vibrant throughout, but really peaks when it gets fuller, weirder, and more unpredictable. Nearly everything revolves around Dean’s deep, tender voice, which skips and twirls through stories of love pursued and lost. ‘UFO’ sees her sing through a vocoder, and the effect is serene. Marching percussion adds texture to ‘Ladies Room’, while the title track’s spacey production is purposefully meandering, encouraging the listener to get lost in Dean’s stream of consciousness. “Never really known the right shape to be,” she sings, pondering the anxieties that accompany tentative new beginnings.

The fullness of Dean’s musical vision vibrates in these gorgeously crafted moments, making the stumbles feel like mere blips: notably, ‘Everybody’s Crazy’ relies too heavily on clichés surrounding how confusing it is to be alive. Dean may have not shed all of her growing pains, but ‘Messy’ ultimately does everything a debut should, uniting multiple stories with a clear, radiant voice”.

I will wrap this up with the review The Line of Best Fit wrote. I am a big fan of Olivia Dean. She is someone who is incredibly versatile. Her debut does feature some of musical influences, yet there is so much happening! You get to traverse so many interesting avenues and scenes. Such a rich singer and writer, Messy is an album that rewards repeated listens. I would recommend people go and hear the album and spend time in its presence. We are going to hear a lot more from Olivia Dean:

“Starting in music at just 17 years old, her career has seen her selling out the Jazz Café plus hometown shows in KOKO and The Roundhouse. Now, at 24, her debut album Messy is no exception to her upward trajectory, using creative artistry to scrapbook elements of love, life and everything in-between into a homegrown directory of soulful buoyancy.

Balancing a fine line between refined and authentic, the record is universally carefree, with atmospherics ranging from dreamy to dark, soulful to spine tingling. Title track “Messy” is a perfect outline of the entire body of work "It's ok if it's messy," Dean croons as glittering synths echo intermittently, whilst mouth trumpet mimes feature alongside a steady build up a of acoustic tropical serenity.

Following her words of wisdom, Olivia Dean’s self-proclaimed mess is a rally of to and fro. Varying from delirious encounters in pub bathrooms in “Ladies Room,” the freedom of falling in love in the euphoric “Dive,” to the risks of taking that plunge, showcased in the playfully wonderful “Danger,” with thoughts that can only be translated into the method of music.

On the deeply personal “Carmen,” Dean pays tribute to her Grandmother who boarded her first ever plane at the age of 18 to the UK, as part of the Windrush Generation. An outpouring of overwhelming gratitude, the track is effervescent with recordings of her grandma’s rich voice, steel pan drums and horns set against undercurrents of delicate bass guitar. The star of the show, however, vocalises itself through Olivia Dean’s poignant storytelling, as she sings "You transplanted a family tree, and a part of it grew into me."

Despite bringing a joyful vibrance to the vast majority of the record, Dean continues to validate that she is the master of versatility. "I’m not as strong as I appear / I’m way more anxious than I seem" she admits on “Everybody’s Crazy,” bearing resemblance to the early soulful ballads of 00’s Adele. Rich with enigmatic chord progressions tied stylishly together with elegant strings, “No Man” is a dark tale of abandonment that see’s Dean reflect on a man’s neglect, with a sound conveying a hybrid of Arctic Monkeys’ Humbug and Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino.

It’s one thing to transform your deepest thoughts, experience and feelings into fiercely beautiful lyrics, the next steps of creating a catalogue of songs with music and vocals is just as precarious. In spite of this, no matter how disorganised Olivia Dean proclaims this album to be, she doesn’t miss a beat – and instead generates a record with just about everything to deem itself ‘perfect’”.

I know that Olivia Dean will continue to bring us wonderful music for years to come. She has some gigs booked already, though I am sure there will be more added. After her Mercury nomination and the fact Messy has received a load of love, so many people will want to see her in the flesh. One of our brightest and most remarkable artists, Olivia Dean’s name should be…

ON everyone’s lips.

FEATURE: Madonna at Sixty-Five: Like a Version: The Best Remixes of the Queen of Pop’s Tracks

FEATURE:

 

 

Madonna at Sixty-Five

PHOTO CREDIT: Madonna

Like a Version: The Best Remixes of the Queen of Pop’s Tracks

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LOOKING ahead to 16th August….

 IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna in 1984/PHOTO CREDIT: Tabak/Sunshine/Retna UK

and this is the date Madonna turns sixty-five. It is a big occasion and moment to celebrate the Queen of Pop. She is currently resting after almost dying due to a bacterial infection. She herself said she was lucky to be alive…so it makes this birthday milestone even more special. I have already published one feature regarding her sixty-fifth. I might do one more too. I am going to finish with something about her albums or legacy. It occurs that many of her songs have been remixed in the past. I think Madonna is always keen to see what other people do with her tracks. Adding something that might not have been there in the original. Even though the originals are wonderful, a remix is interesting to hear. Madonna has remixed for other artists, so it is something that she is fond of. Because of that, below is a playlist featuring some great remixes. From classic tracks to some lesser-heard cuts, other producers, artists or D.J.s have added their D.N.A. to the mix. Enjoy a playlist that boasts…

SOME awesome Madonna remixes.